Screening for Obesity during the World Health Day in Ogboloma, a Small Rural Settlement in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

The implications of environmental contamination on human health in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria remain a topic of growing international public health interest. To better understand ongoing air pollution and initiate remediation efforts, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report recommended the monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) across different media (water, soil, and air) in Ogoniland, an at-risk population in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In this pilot study, we measured indoor VOC concentrations in the indoor air of 20 households in Ogale, an Ogoniland community whose groundwater system is contaminated with benzene at levels 900 times the World Health Organization guidelines and evaluated self-reported health conditions and predicted cancer risks and hazards from inhalation exposure to VOCs. We detected higher concentrations of benzene (mean = 25.7 μg/m3, SD = 23.2 μg/m3) and naphthalene (mean = 7.6 μg/m3, SD = 13.8 μg/m3) than has been reported in other regions. Although study participants reported health symptoms consistent with VOC exposure, we were underpowered to detect a significant association between select indoor VOCs and these self-reported health symptoms using univariate logistic regression models. These findings suggest that that the health symptoms reported by participants may be poor proxies for the underlying disease processes associated with adverse health outcomes due to VOC exposure in this community and that the burden of adverse health effects due to VOC exposure may stem from the contaminated groundwater system. We estimated a non-cancer hazard quotient of 3 from exposure to naphthalene and lifetime excess cancer risks from exposure to naphthalene, benzene, p-dichlorobenzene, carbon tetrachloride, and ethylbenzene of 3 × 10−4, 2 × 10−4, 6 × 10−5, 6 × 10−6, and 1 × 10−5, respectively. These results exceed common risk benchmarks in the United States, suggesting a need for further studies to characterize VOC exposures, sources, and associated health risks in the Niger Delta.

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Distribution of Respiratory Tracy Infectious Diseases in Relation to Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Concentration in Selected Urban Centres in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Journal of Geographical Research ◽

10.30564/jgr.v5i1.3710 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tamuno-owunari Perri ◽

Vincent Ezikornwor Weli ◽

Bright Poronakie ◽

Tombari Bodo

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Niger Delta ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

World Health ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Delta Region ◽

Niger Delta Region ◽

Tract Infections ◽

Pm2.5 Concentration

Due to the visibility of soot in the environment of the Niger Delta especially Rivers State that has led to the increase of espiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) in the region, this study was undertaken to determine the relationship between Particulate Matter (PM2.5) concentration and the incident of Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) in selected urban centres of the Niger Delta. Data on RTIs were collected from the Hospital Management Boards of the Ministries of Health of Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States and the data for PM2.5 were remotely sensed from 2016 to 2019, and subsequently analyzed with ANOVA and Spearman’s rank correlation statistics. The findings of this study revealed that there was significant variation in the occurrence of PM2.5 across the selected urban centres in the Niger Delta Region. The PM2.5 for the reviewed years was far above the World Health Organization (WHO) annual permissible limit of 10 µg/m3 thereby exacerbating Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs).The epidemiology of the RTIs showed that there are basically four (4) prominent RTI diseases: Asthma, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The result of this study showed that the concentration of PM2.5 varies in all the selected cities, and the mean monthly variation (2016-2019) showed that Port Harcourt had 47.27 µg/m3 for January while Yenagoa and Asaba had 46 µg/m3 and 47.51 µg/m3 respectively for January; while the lowest mean value in the cities were seen within the month of September and October, which also had a strong seasonal influence on the concentration of PM2.5. The concentration of PM2.5 and the numbers of RTIs also gradually increases in the study areas from 2016 to 2019. The study recommends that the necessary regulatory bodies should closely monitor the activities of the companies likely to cause such pollution; guild them through their operations and give prompt sanctions and heavy fines to defaulters of the accepted standards.

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Buchi Emecheta (1944-2017): Beyond the dingy ditch

Tydskrif vir Letterkunde ◽

10.17159/tvl.v.54i1.17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 250-252

Author(s):

Chioma Opara

Keyword(s):

Niger Delta ◽

Delta Region ◽

Buchi Emecheta ◽

The Past ◽

Niger Delta Region ◽

The World ◽

The Media

The media have in the past weeks been awash with the sudden demise of a great female writer, activist and publisher—Buchi Emecheta—on 25 January 2017 in London. Nigerians and, indeed, scholars all over the world have not yet recovered from their shock at the loss of two Nigerian literary giants, Elechi Amadi and Isidore Okpewho, only recently in 2016. And now another fatal blow has been dealt on the literary sphere at the dawn of a brand new year. It may be necessary to note that Buchi Emecheta passed on the heels of Isidore Okpewho’s death (an interval of just four months). Both were, incidentally, from Delta State. In fact, the three deceased writers—Amadi, Okpewho and Emecheta came originally from the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

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Black November: Interrogating The Niger Delta Question

The Journal of Society & Media ◽

10.26740/jsm.v5n1.p151-172 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 151

Author(s):

Chukwuma Anyanwu

Keyword(s):

Environmental Degradation ◽

Niger Delta ◽

Relative Deprivation ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Delta Region ◽

Niger Delta Region ◽

The World ◽

The Media ◽

Nigerian Government

The paper interrogates the thematic preoccupations of Jeta Amata’s Black November on the vexed issues of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. The issues bordering on the quest for emancipation from injustice, environmental degradation, deprivation, inhuman treatment, negligence, are at the nexus of the agitations and militancy in the region. It draws inferences from what the movie overlooked and what it portrayed such as the failure of dialogue births violence. The objective is to highlight the problems in the Niger Delta and give credence to the thematic concerns raised by the director. Based on Relative Deprivation Theory (RDT), which sees violence as a product of frustration borne out of depriving people of their rights, denial of justice; a sense of oppression sets in that then leads to reactions that may be violent. The method adopted is descriptive analysis. Findings reveal that the Niger Delta region is much misunderstood, abused and betrayed by its own people, the media, Nigerian government, oil multinationals and the world at large. It concludes that the misunderstanding is largely a product of media misinformation and that of ignorance on the part of stakeholders and that the filmmaker succeeded in getting his message across.

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Application of GIS in the Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Yenagoa Watershed of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Asian Journal of Physical and Chemical Sciences ◽

10.9734/ajopacs/2019/v7i230093 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Oboshenure Kingsley Karo ◽

Francis Emeka Egobueze ◽

Davidson E. Egirani

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Niger Delta ◽

World Health ◽

Groundwater Extraction ◽

Gis Modeling ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Niger Delta Region ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

The spatial variations in groundwater quality in parts of the Yenagoa watershed (YWS) in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria has been investigated using Geographic Information System (GIS). An understanding of the factors responsible for groundwater vulnerability could facilitate the use of geographic information system in the control and management of groundwater quality. This study is due to the fact that the spatial distribution maps of groundwater quality in the YWS obtained by GIS modeling are not documented. The quality of groundwater accounts for the environmental and human health status of the residents in the YWS. Therefore, twenty (20) water samples obtained from shallow boreholes were analyzed for physicochemical properties. The physicochemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, sulphate, nitrate, sodium, chloride, magnesium, total hardness and iron contents were measured using standard laboratory procedure. Except for the iron content, the results obtained from the physicochemical analyses were within limits of the World Health Organization Standards for drinking water. These results were transformed into spatial distribution maps using GIS modeling and interpretation. The Index Overlay method and Inverse Distance weighted method form component parts of the GIS modeling used in the generation of the spatial distribution maps for each physicochemical parameter. These modeled results were related to the World Health Organization (WHO) Standard for drinking water. The maps generated from GIS modeling indicated zones that were suitable for groundwater extraction as opposed to zones unsuitable for groundwater extraction. In conclusion, 55% of the boreholes in the Yenagoa watershed were affected by high iron content.

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Pyrethroid Susceptibility in Culex quinquefasciatus Say. (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations from Delta State, Niger-Delta Region, Nigeria

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjab217 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Chioma C Ojianwuna ◽

Ahmed I Omotayo ◽

Victor N Enwemiwe ◽

Fouad A Adetoro ◽

Destiny N Eyeboka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Niger Delta ◽

World Health ◽

Delta Region ◽

Resistance Development ◽

Vector Borne Diseases ◽

Niger Delta Region ◽

Vector Borne ◽

Health Organization

Abstract The development of insecticide resistance in different species of mosquitoes to Pyrethroids is a major challenge for vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Failure of Pyrethroids in control of mosquitoes would impact negatively on the gains recorded in control of mosquito-borne diseases in previous years. In anticipation of a country-wide deployment of Pyrethroid-treated nets for control of mosquito-borne diseases in Nigeria, this study assessed susceptibility of Culex quinquefasciatus Say. (Diptera: Culicidae) to Pyrethroids in Owhelogbo, Ejeme and Oria-Abraka communities in Delta State, Niger-Delta, Nigeria. Three to five day old Cx. quinquefasciatus were exposed to Deltamethrin (0.05%), Permethrin (0.75%), and Alphacypermethrin (0.05%) using World Health Organization bioassay method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed in characterization of species and knockdown mutation. Results revealed that Cx. quinquefasciatus were generally susceptible (98-100%) to Deltamethrin, Permethrin, and Alphacypermethrin in the three communities with the exception of Owhelogbo where resistance to Deltamethrin (97%) was suspected. Knockdown time to Deltamethrin (11.51, 11.23, and 12.68 min), Permethrin (28.75, 13.26, and 14.49 min), and Alphacypermethrin (15.07, 12.50, and 13.03 min) were considerably low for Owhelogbo, Ejeme, and Oria-Abraka Cx. quinquefasciatus populations, respectively. Species identification result showed that all amplified samples were Cx. quinquefasciatus; however, no kdr allele was found in the three populations. Deployment of pyrethroid-treated nets for control of mosquito-borne diseases in Niger-Delta region of Nigeria is capable of reducing burden of diseases transmitted by Cx. quinquefasciatus as well as addressing nuisance value of the vector; however, caution must be entertained so as not to increase selection pressure thereby aiding resistance development.

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Despoliated Ecosystem and the Exploited Woman: Victims or Volunteers? A Reading of Kaine Agary’s Yellow-Yellow

Asian Education Studies ◽

10.20849/aes.v6i1.930 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 22

Author(s):

Uchenna Ohagwam

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Environmental Degradation ◽

Niger Delta ◽

Delta Region ◽

Economic Independence ◽

Speaking Up ◽

Niger Delta Region ◽

Oil Corporations ◽

The World ◽

The Web

The horrendous situation in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is gradually producing a rich and enduring literature, which paints a vivid picture of the trauma of living in that part of the world. Playwrights, poets, dramatists and literary critics have all lent their contributions in a determined effort at speaking up against the enormity of the environmental degradation in the region; a tragedy brought about by the insensitive exploitation of the region’s natural resources by multinational oil corporations. This study seeks to examine Kaine Agary’s perspective towards the problem as captured in her fictional work, Yellow-Yellow, with focus on the heavy toll it takes on the woman. The dilemma of being caught in the web of either a victim or a volunteer, compels the woman to either dependency or independence. Thus, the paper concludes by making a case for economic independence and argues that it is the surest security for women, especially, the Niger Delta woman.

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Effect of Singeing Materials on Distribution of Some Metals in Liver and Kidney Samples of Capra aegagrus hircus Slaughtered in Uyo Village Road Abattoir in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria and Health Risk Assessment

International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry ◽

10.9734/irjpac/2020/v21i230153 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 34-45

Author(s):

Godwin Asukwo Ebong ◽

Emmanuel Udo Dan ◽

Uwemedimo Emmanuel Udo

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Health Risk ◽

Health Risk Assessment ◽

Niger Delta ◽

World Health ◽

Delta Region ◽

Niger Delta Region ◽

Metal Levels ◽

Liver And Kidney ◽

Capra Aegagrus

A number of local butchers in Uyo metropolis usually make use of used scrap car tyres (USCT) and condemned plastics (CPS) as close substitutes for firewood to singe slaughtered ruminants. This study evaluated the effect of singeing materials on the distribution of some metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu, Zn and Fe) in liver and kidney samples of Capra aegagrus hircus (goat) slaughtered in Uyo Village Road Abattoir in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks for children and adults were also estimated using Estimated Chronic Daily Intake (ECDI), Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Indices (HI) of metals in liver and kidney. Relative to unsinged samples, singed treatments generally demonstrated elevated heavy metal levels in both goat liver and the kidney. Apart from nickel, iron and zinc, the range of values obtained for all the metals in singed samples studied were above the threshold stipulated by the Food and Agricultural Organization and World Health Organization. The health risk assessment revealed Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr as potential carcinogens in the signed samples evaluated. The continuous use of these dangerous materials for singeing of goat meat for human consumption poses great risk to human health and should be discontinued.

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