Levels and Seasonal Variations of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Sediment of Alariver, Ondo State, Nigeria
E. O. Abata *
Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
To assess the level of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in Ala river, surface sediments were collected from ten locations along Ala River, Ondo state, Nigeria and analyzed for the presence of 209 PCB congeners using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. ∑PCBs levels ranged from< 0.9 - < 3 g/kg dry weight. The levels of ∑PCBs were very low and there were no significant differences in values of ∑PCBs in the wet and dry seasons.
Keywords: Polychlorinated biphenyl, contamination, sediment, Ala River