A Scoping Review on Air Quality Monitoring, Policy and Health in West African Cities (original) (raw)

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Ambient air pollution is a global health threat that causes severe mortality and morbidity from respiratory, cardiovascular, and other diseases. Its impact is especially concerning in cities; as the urban population increases, especially in low- and middle-income countries, large populations risk suffering from these health effects. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) comprises 15 West African countries, in which many cities are currently experiencing fast growth and industrialization. However, government-led initiatives in air quality monitoring are scarce in ECOWAS countries, which makes it difficult to effectively control and regulate air quality and subsequent health issues. A scoping study was performed following the Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework in order to assess the precise status of air quality monitoring, related policy, and legislation in this region. Scientific databases and gray literature searches were conducted, and the results were c...

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Air Quality Index: Case of One-Day Monitoring of 253 Urban and Suburban Towns in Nigeria

Environmental Sciences Proceedings

Government departments use the air quality index (AQI) to inform the public about how unhealthy the air is now or may become in the future. As the AQI increases, so do health threats. In addition to reporting daily air quality, it is also a measure of how air pollution impacts one’s health over a limited period of time. The AQI was created to assist people in understanding how local air quality affects their health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the air quality of one day of 253 towns in Nigeria, thereby determining the health threat in these towns. The data were collected from the Tutiempo Network’s regular dataset by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Data on all of the major pollutants (O3, PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO, SO2) were collected and statistical analysis was performed. Kura (Kano State), a town in northern Nigeria, recorded the highest level of 184, while Idiroko, a border town (Nigeria–Benin Republic) in Ogun State, had the lowest value of 41. Kura was ...

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Air quality assessment in three East African cities using calibrated low-cost sensors with a focus on road-based hotspots

Environmental Research Communications, 2021

Poor air quality is a development challenge. Urbanization and industrial development along with increased populations have brought clear socio-economic benefits to Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) but can also bring disadvantages such as decreasing air quality. A lack of reliable air quality data in East African cities makes it difficult to understand air pollution exposure and to predict future air quality trends. This work documents urban air quality and air pollution exposure in the capital cities of Kampala (Uganda), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Nairobi (Kenya). We build a situational awareness of air pollution through repeated static and dynamic mobile monitoring in a range of urban locations, including urban background, roadside (pavement and building), rural background, and bus station sites, alongside vehicle-based measurements including buses and motorcycle taxis. Data suggest that the measured particulate matter mass concentrations (PM2.5, PM10) in all studied cities ...

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Ambient air pollution and non-communicable respiratory illness in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the literature

Environmental Health

Introduction Aerosol pollutants are known to raise the risk of development of non-communicable respiratory diseases (NCRDs) such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and allergic rhinitis. Sub-Saharan Africa’s rapid pace of urbanization, economic expansion, and population growth raise concerns of increasing incidence of NCRDs. This research characterizes the state of research on pollution and NCRDs in the 46 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This research systematically reviewed the literature on studies of asthma; chronic bronchitis; allergic rhinitis; and air pollutants such as particulate matter, ozone, NOx, and sulfuric oxide. Methods We searched three major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) using the key words “asthma”, “chronic bronchitis”, “allergic rhinitis”, and “COPD” with “carbon monoxide (CO)”, “sulfuric oxide (SO)”, “ozone (O3)”, “nitrogen dioxide (NO2)”, and “particulate matter (PM)”, restricting the search to the 46 c...

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Examining Air Pollution and Control Measures in Urban Centers of Nigeria

2013

Air pollution is an acute problem in developing countries especially their cities. In Nigeria the sources include vehicle exhaust aggravated by the rising car population, industrial emission especially from petrochemical industries and cement manufacture, use of gasoline generation as a result of unstable power supply, use of fuel wood for domestic use and energy for small industries. This paper reviews air pollution and control measures in Nigeria. Data for the study was generated through secondary sources. It was found out that it has been difficult to achieve cooperation for air pollution control in developing countries like Nigeria whose main concern is to provide for the basic needs as food, shelter and employment for her populace. The control measures have not been very effective and fully enforced. This paper therefore proposed preventive measures and sustainable solutions such as vehicle inspection, enforcement of legislations, effective refuse collection and evacuation and ...

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