Identification And Quantification of Phthalate Esters in Asa River, Ilorin, Kwara State Nigeria.

Abstract

The study on the identification and quantification of phthalate esters was conducted in ASA River Ilorin, Kwara State. The research aims at preventing every form of pollution that is harmful to living organisms, the idea is to protect and sustain lives by preventing toxins that can be produced from the pollution. However, water pollution results when unwanted substances enter into the water, which changes either the physical, biological or chemical quality of water which can result in harmful to the environment and human health including discharge of domestic waste, industrial effluent, marine dumping, and radioactive waste are main causes of water pollution. Chemicals are disposed of and industrial waste can accumulate in lakes and rivers, proving harmful to living organisms. The study identified four major degrees of contamination with the fourth degree posing a great threat in the ASA River thus water pollution and chemical discharges were the major types and sources of phthalate in the river based on the result of the study. The result obtained from the report indicated that the continuous discharge of industrial effluent in River ASA and its tributaries has resulted in a marked decline in the whole fish population in general most especially those species that are very sensitive to oxygen depletion due to the effluent pollution. The study however made some vital suggestions which include public awareness on the effect of phthalate esters, treatment of industrial effluent before discharging into water, sanctioning of intruders, discouragement of settling of chemical industries and provision of regulations as guides.