Impacts of heavy duty truck emissions on the vertical distributions of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at a big haulage vehicle park

• Published in: Results in engineering 2022-06, Vol.14, p.100392, Article 100392
• Main Authors: Okedere, Oyetunji Babatunde, Olawuyi, Oluwole Ayodeji, Elehinafe, Francis Boluwaji, Nwizu, Chizitelu Ifunanya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Diagnostic ratio; Haulage stop; PAHs; Toxicity equivalence
• ISSN: 2590-1230; 2590-1230
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2022.100392

Nigeria relies heavily on heavy duty haulage vehicles to convey commodities from one end of the nation to the other, owing to the decades-long collapse of the rail transportation infrastructure. This is resulting in settings with very high concentrations of the trucks on the country's key roads. Diesel engine exhausts have long been recognized to be detrimental to human health. The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the top and bottom soil samples from an extensive haulage vehicle stop located at Ogere, a roadside town along the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan highway were investigated. Soil samples taken at depths of 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm were subjected gas-chromatographic/mass spectrometer analysis. The Ʃ priority PAHs in the top and bottom soils at four sampling locations ranged between 16.4 and 32.0 mg/kg and 18.6–26.6 mg/kg respectively. The corresponding Ʃ carcinogenic PAHs for top and bottom soils ranged between 9.2 and 17.4 mg/kg and 8.7–12.0 mg/kg respectively. The concentrations of PAHs obtained in this study clearly exceeded the permissible limits set for soil PAHs in most developed nations of the world. The diagnostic ratio attributed the observed PAHs to diesel emissions. The study concluded that the emissions from the trucks at the haulage vehicle stop have tremendous impact on the soil PAH concentrations. •The impacts of diesel exhaust emissions from haulage trucks on the top and bottom soil concentrations of PAHs were investigated.•A total of fifteen priority PAHs were observed in the top and bottom soils.•The obtained concentrations of PAHs also exceeded the recommended thresh-hold in most developed nations of the world..•He diagnostic ratio confirmed the observed PAHs as emanating from diesel emissions which must have come from the trucks at the haulage stop.•Giving levels of PAHs obtained in this study the possibility of human exposure to soils that are heavily contaminated by PAHs exist.