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1. Introduction
Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the eleventh largest producer of crude oil in the world. Prospecting and extraction of petroleum occur in over 50% of the Niger Delta region, resulting in a cornucopia of access roads, pipelines, wells, gas flaring, dredged spoils and flow stations that are often located near homes, schools, farms, and within communities [1]. Oil spills are common throughout the area, as a consequence of pipeline corrosion, poor maintenance of infrastructure, spills or leaks at the well heads, human error, theft of oil and intentional vandalism [2,3]. The amount of oil that is spilled in the Niger delta is unknown. A report by Jernelov [4] estimated that the total spillage was between 9 and 13 million barrels over 50 years-roughly 1.5 million tons per year, equivalent to one Exxon-Valdez spill annually for half a century. The collective impacts of these pervasive massive spills on the environment and local inhabitants are worsened by seasonal floods which transfer the oil pollution to farmlands and occupied areas [5]. Currently, hundreds of thousands of people who live in the Niger delta are being exposed to oil contamination near their homes, farm lands, fishing grounds and in their drinking water and foods but the consequences of such exposure on their health are unknown [1].
Most of the human studies in the Niger Delta have been focused on the caustic relationship between the oil pollution and poverty in the region and the social tension between the people and the oil companies [6,7,8]. Although health problems are cited in these studies to support the contention that concern for a clean environment is a reason for community-industry conflicts, there have been few systematic health studies to back up such claims [1,5]. Reliable information on the effects of oil pollution on the physiological health of people in the Niger Delta is very limited (reviewed by Nriagu [1]; Ordinioha and Brisibe [6]), and even less is known about the psychological effects of living with such environmental adversity [7,9]. The first goal of this study is to determine the prevalence and correlates of two health outcome measures (namely, functional capacity limitation and health symptoms) and emotional distress (environmental worry, environmental annoyance and environmental intolerance) in an area...