The Presence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Blood of Pregnant Women in Cotonou, Benin Republic

ABTRACT Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous air pollutants generated by combustion sources that include motor vehicles, coal-fired power plants and residential heating and cooking. They are compound consisting of several aromatic rings of hydrocarbons. They are classified as toxic, mutagens and carcinogens by World Health Organization (WHO). The study investigate the presence of these hydrocarbons in the blood of pregnant women expose to high endemic region of hydrocarbons to elucidate the prevalent causes of malformation of fetus and newborns witnessed in pregnant women from the area. Blood were isolated intravenously from seventeen (17) pregnant women, 2.0 ml per person and the blood were tested for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using Gas chromatography (GC). The result indicated that nine (9) had between 4.2- 4.73ng/kg, and seven (7) had between 5.1- 5.27ng/kg and only one (1) had 7.09ng/kg of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, indicating that only one woman had PAHs in her blood above WHO safety threshold of 7.00ng/kg pack cells (PC).