Introduction of Petroleum Hydrocarbons Contaminants and its Human Effects

Author(s): Sylvia Adipah

The aim of this study is to introduce soil contamination as a serious worldwide problem. Soil contamination is caused mainly by the leakage of underground storage tanks and pipes. The most common conventional method for the remediation of contaminated soils is excavation followed by landfilling or incineration and other technologies that have been widely practiced. Contaminated sites pose a threat to human life due to severe health problems caused by adverse health effects from exposure to oil-soil contamination. Once it is being detected, assessment strategies, type of sampling, chemical analyses, evaluation of parameters and its effect must be done. Several technologies and parameters have been developed to treat petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil but the problem still exists.