Ifelebuegu Augustine O, Ukpebor Justina E, Ahukannah Anita U, Nnadi Ernest O, Theophilus Stephen C
School of Energy, Construction and Environment, Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK.
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK.
Environ Monit Assess. 2017 Apr;189(4):173. doi: 10.1007/s10661-017-5882-x. Epub 2017 Mar 20.
Oil spill pollution has remained a source of several international litigations in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In this paper, we examined the impacts of small recurrent crude oil spills on the physicochemical, microbial and hydrobiological properties of the Nun River, a primary source of drinking water, food and recreational activities for communities in the region. Samples were collected from six sampling points along the stretch of the lower Nun River over a 3-week period. Temperature, pH salinity, turbidity, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, nitrate, heavy metals, BTEX, PAHs and microbial and plankton contents were assessed to ascertain the quality and level of deterioration of the river. The results obtained were compared with the baseline data from studies, national and international standards. The results of the physicochemical parameters indicated a significant deterioration of the river quality due to oil production activities. Turbidity, TDS, TSS, DO, conductivity and heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) were in breach of the national and international limits for drinking water aquatic health. They were also significantly higher than the initial baseline conditions of the river. Also, there were noticeable changes in the phytoplankton, zooplankton and microbial diversities due to oil pollution across the sampling zones.
石油泄漏污染一直是尼日利亚尼日尔三角洲地区多起国际诉讼的源头。在本文中，我们研究了小规模反复发生的原油泄漏对努恩河理化、微生物和水生生物学特性的影响，努恩河是该地区社区饮用水、食物和娱乐活动的主要来源。在3周时间内，从努恩河下游河段的六个采样点采集了样本。对温度、pH值、盐度、浊度、总悬浮固体、总溶解固体、溶解氧、磷酸盐、硝酸盐、重金属、苯系物、多环芳烃以及微生物和浮游生物含量进行了评估，以确定河流的质量和恶化程度。将获得的结果与研究中的基线数据、国家和国际标准进行了比较。理化参数结果表明，石油生产活动导致河流质量显著恶化。浊度、总溶解固体、总悬浮固体、溶解氧、电导率和重金属（镉、铬、铜、铅、镍和锌）均超出了国家和国际饮用水水生健康标准限值。它们也显著高于河流的初始基线条件。此外，由于整个采样区域的石油污染，浮游植物、浮游动物和微生物多样性也发生了明显变化。
