An Exposure Appraisal of Outdoor Air Pollution on the Respiratory Well-being of a Developing City Population

Abstract

Zaria is the educational hub of northern Nigeria. It is a developing city with a pollution level high enough to be ranked amongst the World Health Organization's (WHO) most polluted cities. The study appraised the influence of outdoor air pollution on the respiratory well-being of a population in a limited resource environment. With the approved ethics, the techniques utilized were: portable pollutant monitors, respiratory health records, WHO AirQ+ software, and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) questionnaire. They were utilized to acquire daytime weighted outdoor pollution levels, health respiratory cases, assumed baseline incidence (BI), and exposure respiratory symptoms among selected study participants respectively. The study revealed an average respiratory illness incidence rate of 607 per 100,000 cases. Findings showed that an average of 2648 cases could have been avoided if the theoretical WHO threshold limit for the particulate matter with diameter of <2.5/10 micron (PM 2.5 /PM 10) were adhered to. Using the questionnaire survey, phlegm was identified as the predominant respiratory symptom. A regression analysis showed that the criteria pollutant PM 2.5 , was the most predominant cause of respiratory symptoms among interviewed respondents. The study logistics revealed that outdoor pollution is significantly associated with respiratory well-being of the study population in Zaria, Nigeria.

Barriers to Water Access in Rural Communities: Examining the Factors Influencing Water Source Choice

“…Studies have reported some progress with the number of populations with improved SWS (ISWS) when the comparison is made with past years and more recent years (Figure 1). However, there is still room for more advancement [24,31] especially as safe drinking water still shows a rise in inadequacy over time (Figure 1).…”

“…Another socio-cultural factor identified to influence adequate WA is gender inequality [31]. When it comes to deciding water access and ownership of water resources, women are often underrepresented [40], making it a male-dominated position.…”

“…This pollution occurs through the transportation of pathogens from faecal waste, fertilisation processes, and animal nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous), which are harmful to the human body [29]. As the population is rapidly increasing in developing countries [30], more specifically in Nigeria [15], maintaining substantial sanitary and hygienic practices has been proven to be a challenge [31,32]. The consequence of this is contaminated SWS, leading to life-threatening ailments more dominant in rural parts of the country [27,33].…”

Drivers of anthropogenic air emissions in Nigeria - A review

“…Traffic pollution usually poses serious adverse effect on ambient and outdoor air quality. Aliyu and Botai (2018) reported incidences of respiratory problems in Zaria in about 6.7% of people exposed to outdoor concentrations of air pollutants beyond permissible limit. Croitoru et al.…”

“…Traffic pollution usually poses serious adverse effect on ambient and outdoor air quality. Aliyu and Botai (2018) reported incidences of respiratory problems in Zaria in about 6.7% of people exposed to outdoor concentrations of air pollutants beyond permissible limit. Croitoru et al (2020), in a World Bank document on the cost of air pollution in Lagos reported that air pollution related morbidity and mortality are most prevalent in Lagos than most other African cities.…”