Volume 17, No 3 , 2016

Genotoxicity testing represents a powerful line of evidence for assessing impacts from chemical contaminants in drinking water. In this study, fifteen brands of sachet water, five of which do not have the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) registration numbers, were collected in the Benin metropolitan city square in Edo State of Nigeria and subjected to cytological evaluation using the macroscopic and microscopic parameters in Allium cepa L.

Comparative phytoassessment of some selected vegetation exposed to automobile emission along Sapele road, Benin City, Nigeria at different distances from the road was carried out. Three plots (100 cm2 in area) were mapped out at intervals of 10 m away from the road to serve as treatment plots. The plots were designated as A (0 m – 10 m), B (10 m – 20 m) and C (20 m – 30 m) and a fourth plot was the control (100 m – 110 m) plot. Three plants, Sida acuta, Sida garckeana and Mariscus alternifolius; were selected for physiological studies as they were common to all the plots.

Urine-impacted-soils were collected from different sampling points located within the vicinity of Iyaro Motor Park and analysed for physicochemical, aromatic hydrocarbon and bacteriological profiles. Standard analytical procedures which included serial dilution and pour plating, usage of appropriate meters, atomic absorption spectrophotometry and gas chromatography were employed in the evaluation of the bacteriological, physicochemical, heavy metal and poly aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) profiles of the soils.

Field trials were conducted during the rainy season of 2011 and 2012. The main objective of the study was to investigate the possibility of increasing the productivity of Kenaf under organic conditions. Organic manure (Mucuna pruriens, compost manure, and control), sowing distances (15 and 30cm) and number of seed per stand (2 and 4 plant per hill) were factorially combined (3×2×2) to obtain twelve factorial treatment combinations.

This investigation was aimed at determining the helminth parasites and prey items in the stomach of Ptychadena sp. from Obazuwa wetland in Edo State Nigeria. Four Ptychadena sp. (P. longirostris, P. bibroni, P. oxyrhynchus and P. mascareniensis) were collected using the visual/acoustic encounter survey methods. The stomach contents of the frogs examined revealed a total of 127 identifiable items comprising of 108 arthropods, 16 nematodes and 3 cestodes.

Monitoring pathogen survival in polluted environmental media is useful as an early warning tool to forestall outbreaks of infections and safeguard public health. Survival of clinical strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Vibrio cholerae was monitored for 192 hours in pre-sterilised samples of domestic wastewater and sediment, agricultural wastewater and river water.