Quantification and characterization of vehicle-based polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in street dust from the Tamale metropolis, Ghana

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in street dust in the Tamale metropolis, Ghana, have been measured in this study. The concentrations of the various types of PAHs identified in street dust samples from high vehicular traffic density in the metropolis are as follows: naphthalene, 10,000 mu g/kg; acenaphthylene, 13,000 mu g/kg; acenaphthene, 76,000 mu g/kg; fluorene, 18,900 mu g/kg; phenanthrene, 40,000 mu g/kg; anthracene, 21,000 mu g/kg; fluoranthene, 35,200 mu g/kg; pyrene, 119,000 mu g/kg; benzo[a]anthracene, 17,700 mu g/kg; chrysene, 10,600 mu g/kg; benzo[k]fluoranthene, 18,700 mu g/kg; benzo[a]pyrene, 10,900 mu g/kg and benzo[g, h, i]perylene, 21,000 mu g/kg. Calculation of the phenanthrene/anthracene ratio indicated that the PAHs identified in this study were from vehicular fallout as the ratio was less than 10. It is clear from the results of the study that road users in the Tamale metropolis, especially hawkers, are exposed to the harmful effects of PAHs, and this suggests the need for the establishment of mitigation measures by the regulatory agencies.