Fate and transport modelling of petroleum hydrocarbons in aquatic and soil systems: Toxicological profiling and safety implications for human and environmental health
1 Department of Industrial Chemistry, Southern Delta University, Ozoro, Nigeria.
2 Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Nigeria.
3 African Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Toxicological Research, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Research Article
Open Access Research Journal of Science and Technology, 2026, 16(02), 150-165.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjst.2026.16.2.0039
Publication history:
Received on 19 February 2026; revised on 27 March 2026; accepted on 30 March 2026
Abstract:
Since the exploration of crude oil, malfunctioning of oil pipelines and industrial processes are common in oil-producing areas such as the Niger Delta, oil spills of hydrocarbons, especially petroleum, are a constant environmental issue. Most of the time, the toxicity of petroleum hydrocarbons has been deposited into the soil structures and groundwater pools in such regions. This paper examined the environmental behaviour, transport, and toxicological significance of petroleum hydrocarbons in the petroleum-producing communities of Ogulagha, Esanma, Burutu, and the Ayakoromo Creek Area, and Ekogbene of the Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. Sampling was done on soil (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depth) and groundwater samples (wet and dry seasons), and the samples were analysed by GC-MS and HPLC analytical models to determine the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and sixteen priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). The HYDRUS-2D was used to simulate contaminant migration patterns of the vadose zone, and MODFLOW-MT3DMS was used to calculate contaminant groundwater transport of hazardous chemicals, whereas chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) models were used to assess human health hazards. Findings indicated serious hydrocarbon pollution, with the highest soil TPH of 12,450 mg/kg and groundwater TPH of 940 mg/L, especially in the Ogulagha community. Plume migration up to 160 m in the horizontal and up to 200 m in the vertical was predicted by model simulations, once the contamination events had been observed, and groundwater penetration was observed in 35 months to 5 months. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment exhibited HQ values of up to 3.8 children, which is greater than 1.0, the acceptable safety level created by the USEPA, whereas carcinogenic risk assessment gave ILCR 7.8 x10-4, which shows an unacceptable level of cancer risk. Spatial risk mapping indicated that the areas of concern were the Esanma and Ogulagha as hot spots of contamination, which needed urgent remediation. The research reveals that the combination of petroleum contamination modelling and toxicological risk assessment can enable a sound system for monitoring the environment, protecting human health, and remediation efforts in petroleum-contaminated ecosystems.
Keywords:
Petroleum Hydrocarbons; Fate and Transport Modelling; Toxicological Risk Assessment; Groundwater Contamination
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0