ANALYSES OF PARTICULATE MATTER AT CONSTRUCTION SITES: CASE STUDY OF OBIO-AKPO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

This study focused on analyses of particulate matter generated from construction at some selected building sites in Obio-Akpo Local Government Area (latitudes 4°45'N and 4°60'N and longitudes 6°50'E and 8°00'E) Nigeria. The method of sample collection was direct deposition method under gravity. The masses of particulate matter collected from two construction sites (sampling sites 1 and 2) and a residential building for sampling site 3(control) for a period of three weeks and two days (April 19th – May 10th, 2017) were 0.06g and 0.04g for sampling sites 1and 2, while sampling site 3 being the control was 0.02g. The Atomic Absorption Spectroscopic analyses of the particulate matter samples revealed the presence of thirty three (33) elemental components which include; beryllium(Be), sodium (Na), magnesium(Mg), aluminium(Al), potassium(K),calcium(Ca), vanadium(V), chromium (Cr 52 & Cr 53), manganese(Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt(Co), nickel(Ni), copper(Cu), zinc(Zn), arsenic(As), molybdenum(Mo 95,& Mo 98), cadmium(Cd106,Cd108 & Cd 111), silver(Ag), indium(In), tin(Sn), antimony (Sb), barium(Ba), terbium(Tb), thallium(Tl), lead(Pb), bismuth(Bi), thorium(Th), and uranium(U). A good number of research works have shown that some of these elements constitute serious health problems to man when they are inhaled or ingested, hence the need for proper safety mechanisms to be put in place in order to protect construction workers and individuals living within the environment from their harmful effects.