Evaluation Of Heavy Traffic Vehicular Exhausts Roads Side Polluted Guinea Grass Paniaum Maximum On Health Performance And Pathological Responses Of Guinea Pigs In Humans As The Consumer Of Its Meat.

The detrimental effects of pollutants caused by traffic vehicular exhausts emissions on roads side vegetation particularly guinea grass panicum maximum human health as well as animals have been a major concern would wide. Guinea grass is grazing plant of great economic importance for guinea pigs and has contributed up to 80 in its nutrition. There are possible indications that when these roads side guinea grass are polluted by traffic vehicle exhausts emission it affects the health of the guinea pigs that depends on the plants for life as well as the health of the consumers of its meat. Increase in the motor vehicular traffic and its associated emissions on the roads side areas have led to a sharp increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma and rhinitis. However the indirect adverse effect of air pollution from traffic vehicular emission on humans via the consumption of animals that depends on polluted grass for life is unprecedented. This study was an evaluation of heavy traffic vehicular roads side polluted guinea grass by motor exhausts emissions on health performance and pathological responses of guinea pigs in human as the consumer of its meat. Twenty four 24 guinea pigs of varying age ranging from 6 to 16 weeks old were used in 8 weeks experiment which were allotted to four 4 dietary treatments T2 T3 T4 and T5 and the control T1 with 6 guinea pigs per treatment and two replicates each. Heavy metals from 4 roads side polluted guinea grass and the control grass in Rivers State which include Aba Road T2 Ikwerre Road T3 NTA Road T4 and East West Road T5 were analyzed to determine the degree of contamination. Result indicated the body weight values obtained for the experiment T2 T3 T4 and T5 were not comparable with the control value despite the fact that the control had the least initial body weight. The values obtained in the control were significantly higher than the test experiment Table 1. All the roads side guinea grass were contaminated compared to the values obtained in the control T1. Guinea grass on the Aba road had the highest contamination with Nikel 6.4 mgkg and Manganese 4.8mgkg followed by Leord 4.1mgkg and chromium 3.1mgkg. Similar values were obtained for other treatments.