Statistical Assessment of Environmental Pollution Levels in Industrial Areas of Delta State

This study conducts a statistical assessment of environmental pollution levels in industrial areas of Delta State, South South Nigeria, using multivariate statistical techniques to analyse ambient air quality, surface water quality, and soil contamination data collected from the Warri Industrial Zone and surrounding communities. Delta State's heavy concentration of petroleum refining, petrochemical, and allied industries has created persistent environmental pollution concerns that affect the health and livelihoods of communities in close proximity to industrial facilities. Environmental samples comprising 180 air quality measurements, 240 surface water samples, and 160 soil samples are collected from 20 sampling sites across a 12-month period in accordance with protocols specified by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency. Physical and chemical parameters including particulate matter concentrations, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, heavy metal concentrations in water and soil, total petroleum hydrocarbon levels, and biochemical oxygen demand are measured at an accredited environmental laboratory. Multivariate analysis of variance is applied to test for significant differences in pollution levels across industrial, residential buffer, and control zone categories. Principal component analysis identifies the dominant pollution factors, and cluster analysis groups sampling sites by overall pollution profiles. Results reveal that industrial zone sites significantly exceed regulatory thresholds for sulphur dioxide, lead, and total petroleum hydrocarbons. Keywords: environmental pollution, multivariate statistics, principal component analysis, Delta State, industrial zone