Contamination of Dioxins in Nigerian Inland Waters: A Review

The rise of anthropogenic activities in Nigeria has contributed greatly to dioxin emission, where the aquatic environment remains the ultimate environmental sink to all pollutants such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDDs). Thus, this paper reviewed the various impacts of dioxin in the water, sediment and organisms in inland waters. Literatures of relevant and previous studies on dioxins in the water, sediment and organisms within and outside Nigeria were reviewed. The impacts of dioxin place human health at risk; dioxin causes endocrine disruption, decreases fertility in shellfish, finfishes and mammals, decreases hatching success in fish, decreases offspring survival, alteration of immune and behavioral function in birds and mammals in the aquatic environment. Dioxins have been observed to cause different effect on the body of aquatic organism base on the concentration level in the aquatic environment. The ultimate impact of dioxins is biomagnification and it result in destruction of man on consumption of aquatic resources such as fish. Therefore, efforts should be made to reduce dioxins entrance in the aquatic environment. replace hydrocarbon product engines with the following; solar energy, biogas, wind energy and water energy sources, replace chlorinated compound with other compound that will function to reduce environmental risk, ban vehicles with smoke. Also, anthropogenic activities that release dioxins into the aquatic environment should be under surveillance.