Quantification and characterization of vehicle-based polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in street dust from the Tamale metropolis, Ghana.

OBJECTIVE: Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in street dust in the Tamale metropolis, Ghana, have been measured in this study. RESULTS: The concentrations of the various types of PAHs identified in street dust samples from high vehicular traffic density in the metropolis are as follows: naphthalene, 10,000 µg/kg; acenaphthylene, 13,000 µg/kg; acenaphthene, 76,000 µg/kg; fluorene, 18,900 µg/kg; phenanthrene, 40,000 µg/kg; anthracene, 21,000 µg/kg; fluoranthene, 35,200 µg/kg; pyrene, 119,000 µg/kg; benzo[a]anthracene, 17,700 µg/kg; chrysene, 10,600 µg/kg; benzo[k]fluoranthene, 18,700 µg/kg; benzo[a]pyrene, 10,900 µg/kg and benzo[g, h, i]perylene, 21,000 µg/kg. Calculation of the phenanthrene/anthracene ratio indicated that the PAHs identified in this study were from vehicular fallout as the ratio was less than 10. CONCLUSION: It is clear from the results of the study that road users in the Tamale metropolis, especially hawkers, are exposed to the harmful effects of PAHs, and this suggests the need for the establishment of mitigation measures by the regulatory agencies.