The etiology of many neurological cases cannot be easily delineated, making the investigation, and treatment to be challenging. This study aims to screen the blood of neurology patients presenting for the first time in the hospital for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) using Flame Ionization Detector -Gas Chromatography. Fourteen PAHs were detected in the samples. The results showed that flourene and phenanthrene were common to all the patients in the range (1.37 to 8.08 and 1.66 to 8.34 ng/mL respectively), but were not detected in the control samples. Pyrene, fluoranthene and acenaphthene were present in 80, 75 and 70% in the blood plasma of the patients at the range of 2.96 to 236.86 ng/mL, 1.96 to 11.55 ng/mL and 1.08 to 1.81 ng/mL respectively. These were not found in the control samples. The body burden of these congeners was much higher in neurology patients than controls and literature values of similar study. The concentrations detected were statistically significant, and could be possible causative agents. This can also become one of the investigative tools for these diseases.

The study examined the contamination levels of the soil and plantain leaves in three communities in Atakunmosa west local government area of Osun State in southwest Nigeria, where gold mining activities have recently become intensive. Plantain is a major food crop, whose leaves are used to wrap food items for household consumption. The objectives were to examine the heavy metal concentrations in the soil and plantain leaves around the gold mine site and compare them with standard recommended safe limits for the environment. Soil and plantain leaves were sampled at different locations around the sites and at a control site from a neighboring local government area with no history of gold mining activities between March 2015 and February 2016. Both soil and leave samples were processed and analyzed for selected heavy metals (Cd, As, Cu, Zn, Cr, Mn and Fe) using the Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) in the laboratory. The study showed higher concentrations than the World Health Organization's recommended safe limits of the heavy metals in the soils and plantain leaves. Dry season concentrations of the variables were also higher than the wet season and the heavy metal concentrations at the control station were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those of the mining environment. The study concluded that the ecosystems in the artisanal gold mining region are vulnerable to bioaccumulation of heavy metals and the leaves from the sites are sources of heavy metal contamination if consumed or used to wrap food items.

No abstract