MODERN MILITARY-TACTICAL INTEGRATION OF LOCAL PHYTOCHEMICAL RESOURCES: NANOTECHNOLOGICAL MODIFICATION AND THE PROSPECTS OF AUTONOMOUS PRECISION SYSTEMS THE CASE OF CAPSICUM

Abstract

This study assessed the composition and health risk level of welding fumes from fabrication facilities in Port Harcourt. The objectives were to; ascertain the composition and concentration of heavy metals in welding fumes and to examine the cancer and non-cancer health risk of fume through inhalation. Using experimental design, Air samples from fabrication facility in Port Harcourt was obtained using Mini-Vol portable air sampler and analyzed for presence and concentration of heavy metals. Health risk assessment was evaluated based on non-cancer risk using hazard quotient (HQ) and cancer risk using Cancer Risk Index (CRI). The results revealed that the heavy metal identified in the fumes and their concentrations were Iron (1.8935μg/g), Nickel (0.0194μg/g), Zinc (0.0107μg/g), Manganese (0.0132μg/g), Lead (0.2696μg/g), Chromium (0.0089μg/g), Aluminum (0.0071μg/g), Cobalt (0.1803μg/g), Cadmium (0.0854μg/g), Magnesium (0.0064μg/g), Calcium (0.0628μg/g) and Potassium (0.7174μg/g) which are all higher than recommended limits. Non-cancer health risk assessment revealed that non-carcinogenic metals contain in the fumes posed no health risk to the welders (HQ>1.0)) while Cadmium and Chromium posed cancer health risk because their CRI of 1.62×10^(-6) and 1.8×10^(-5) respectively were higher than recommended limit of 1.0×10^(-6). These findings highlight the need for robust enforcement of occupational health and safety regulations aimed at reducing possible health risk concerns associated with welding fume exposure. It was concluded that safeguarding the health and well-being of welders through systemic safety interventions is critical to promoting sustainable occupational health practices in fabrication industries in Port Harcourt.