Assessing gaseous pollutants and air quality in some areas of Kano metropolis, Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assesses the air quality of some areas in Kano metropolis. It was conducted for a period of two months in 2013 through direct field measurement of gaseous pollutant concentration in ten different locations using mobile gas censors. The air pollutants measured includes carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S), methane (CH 4 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ). In some areas, the study indicated higher concentrations of CO, NO 2 and H 2 S above the air quality standard stipulated by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). This implies that, the air quality of the areas is not within the safe limits. Thus, the consequences of the pollutants to public health were discussed. The study recommends the implementation of tighter vehicular emission regulations and provision of more parking spaces along the higher traffic roads of the metropolis, among others.

Noise and Gaseous Pollutants Profiles of Outdoor Air Envelopes in Selected Areas Within Abeokuta, South Western Nigeria

“…This trend could be attributed to lower vehicular movement around these areas in comparison to the industrial and commercial areas visited in this study. Olayinka et al (2015) and Garba and Yunusa, (2016) reported that the source of outdoor airborne gaseous pollutants in Abeokuta and Kano metropolis, North Central Nigeria was vehicular exhaust emissions and observed high concentrations of these pollutants in municipal areas where the vehicular traffic was also high. The values of the gaseous pollutants observed at Kuto and Panseke in this study contrasted with seasonal values reported by Olayinka et al (2015).…”

“…Several prevalent air pollutants in urbanized areas include; dioxides of sulphur and nitrogen; (SO2) and (NO2), carbon (II) oxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), suspended particulate matter (SPM) with aerodynamic diameters under 2.5 and 10µm, lead (Pb) and ozone (O3) (Garba and Yunusa, 2016;Ipeaiyeda and Adegboyega, 2017;Njoku et al, 2018;Nwosisi et al, 2021). These air pollutants have been described as criteria contaminants as they are strongly suspected to have negative health effects on both humans and the biotic and abiotic components of the environment (Ipeaiyeda and Adegboyega, 2017).…”

“…It has been observed that developing nations in sub-Saharan Africa, especially Nigeria, are bedeviled by several developmental challenges (Garba and Yunusa, 2016). These challenges include; an increase in automobile ownership and usage, dependence on alternative power sources such as fossil fuel-powered generators for supply, indiscriminate open burning of solid wastes, usage of dirty fuels, and absence of or non-implementation of environmental laws and edicts (Garba and Yunusa, 2016). These anthropogenic activities have been known to escalate the poor quality of outdoor air associated with urbanized areas (Garba and Yunusa, 2016).…”

“…These challenges include; an increase in automobile ownership and usage, dependence on alternative power sources such as fossil fuel-powered generators for supply, indiscriminate open burning of solid wastes, usage of dirty fuels, and absence of or non-implementation of environmental laws and edicts (Garba and Yunusa, 2016). These anthropogenic activities have been known to escalate the poor quality of outdoor air associated with urbanized areas (Garba and Yunusa, 2016).…”

Compact and portable quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy sensor for carbon monoxide environmental monitoring in urban areas

“…CO background concentration in troposphere in non-urban, unpolluted areas usually spans in the parts-per-million (ppm) range [2] , [3] , as recently confirmed by the data collected in the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) NASA mission [4] . Nevertheless, these values may grow up to ppm in urban or metropolitan areas because of vehicles exhaust or industrial emissions [5] , [6] . In closed environments (such as houses or offices), carbon monoxide may reach the worrying concentrations of ppm due to indoor fires, depending on ventilation condition of the room [7] .…”