A Measurement of Selected Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Petroleum Product Contaminated Soils Using a Gas Chromatograph

Oil contaminated soils around refined petroleum products depot and retailing stations were investigated for selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to determine their levels in the soils. Soil samples were collected using standard analytical procedures and the petroleum hydrocarbons extracted using standard method, while the PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and anthracene) contents of the extracted petroleum hydrocarbons were determined using SNR 8126 gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID). The results indicated that benz[a] anthracene has the highest concentrations in both the oil depot contaminated soils (59.1 +/- 3.3 mg/kg) and oil retailing station contaminated soils (20.8 +/- 2.1 mg/kg). The results also showed that the oil depot contaminated soils were burdened with the analyzed PAHs than oil retailing station contaminated soils; this was confirmed by the results of t test analysis. Comparison of the values of the PAHs in the oil impacted soils with their background levels showed that their values in the two sets of oil impacted soils were excessive; this was corroborated with their high pollution (PI) and geoaccumulation (I-geo) index values, except chrysene, which moderately polluted the soils (low PI and I-geo values); this was clear indication of indiscriminate discharge of petroleum fuels and petrochemicals into the soils.