Oil Industry and the Health of Communities in the Niger Delta of Nigeria

The impacts of oil exploration and production are the inevitable consequences of industrialization and economic development in Nigeria, which have not been well managed. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria where crude oil is produced from nearly 200 oil fields, 11 000 km of aging flow lines and over 160 flow stations have become heavily contaminated with oil and oily wastes from pipeline rupture, oil well blowouts, seepages, tanker accidents, deballasting operations, and sabotage of operational facilities. Although the negative impacts of oil pollution on soils, sediments, and plants have been well documented, the impacts on human health have not been systematically assessed. This article summarizes the information on risks of exposure to oil pollution and concludes that there is high probability for a wide range of toxic responses in many communities of the Niger Delta including behavioral abnormalities, respiratory diseases, suppressed growth, induced or inhibited enzyme and other molecular effects, adverse physiological responses, blood disorders, negative reproductive outcomes, reduced immunity to disease and parasites, and cancers of the various organs.