title: Occurrence, distribution, sources and toxic potential of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface soils from the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.
abstract: As a developing country, the economic and population growth rates in Ghana over the past few years have seen a tremendous increase. The growing rate of industrialization is gradually leading to contamination and deterioration of the environment and pollution is likely to reach disturbing levels. Surface soil samples were collected randomly from 36 communities in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana, to determine the concentrations, distribution, sources and toxic potential of emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) since no such comprehensive study had been conducted. The mean concentration of total PAHs in the surface soils in each community ranged from 14.78 at Ahinsan to 2084 ng/g dry weight at Adum with an average of 442.5 ± 527.2 ng/g dry weight. Diagnostic ratios and chemical mass balance models of the results showed that PAHs in surface soil samples from the study area were mainly from fuel combustion. Carcinogenic potency of PAH load from the city centre was approximately 150 times higher as compared to a pristine site, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology's Botanical Garden. BaP, a human carcinogen, contributed 70% of the total PAHs toxicity level from the city centre of Kumasi.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: Nesta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bortey-Sam
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikenaka
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: Shouta M M
authors.initials: SMM
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Osei
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Akoto
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: Yared Beyene
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Yohannes
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Elvis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baidoo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: Hazuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizukawa
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan. Electronic address: ishizum@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishizuka
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005869:Ghana; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Chemical mass balance; Diagnostic ratio; Kumasi; PAHs; Surface soil