Assessment of Particulate Matter-Based Air Quality Index in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Due to the desire of nations to enhance their economic status, industrialization is vigorously pursued. Industrialization is historically associated with environmental degradation. In developing countries, due to lack of environmental awareness, the level of industrialization is not commensurate with environmental studies and monitoring. This study was designed to assess the status of particulate matter at three emerging industrial sites in Port Harcourt. To achieve this, Aerocet 531 monitor was used. To be able to communicate properly with the general public, data obtained were expressed in terms of Air Quality Index (AQI). The results showed that industrial sites had higher concentrations compared to the control for both PM 2.5 and PM 10 . Seasonal variation of PM 2.5 and PM 10 were observed with the dry season indicating concentrations higher than the local acceptable limits of 150 µg/m 3 and 230 µg/m 3 . The AQI of the three emerging industrial sites indicated a category for 'good' to 'moderate' for wet season while for dry season, they varied from 'very unhealthy' to 'hazardous' in all the sampling areas. This poses a great threat to health and environment of the inhabitants.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Levels In Wistar Rats Exposed To Ambient Air Of Port Harcourt, Nigeria: An Indicator For Tissue Toxicity

“…The presence of daily PM 2.5 at 32-158 µg/m 3 and PM10 at 33-467 µg/m3 beyond WHO acceptable limits, con rms the likelihood of Port Harcourt residents being exposed to hazardous compounds [60,61]. High amounts of ne particulate matter in indoor and outdoor environs noted in the study were similar to those found in highly petroleum-based industrial areas [23][24][25][26][27][62][63][64]. The observed increase in particulate matter is most likely responsible for the relative upsurge in trends of morbidity and mortality recorded over the years in Port Harcourt, con rming reports from previous studies [19,20,62], as toxicity and mortality, cancers, upsurge in respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal dysfunctions resulting from exposure to particulate matter bonded with PAHs have been reported in a plethora of epidemiological studies [47,65,44].…”

“…Unlike places such as Abuja where relative clean air have been noted [21,22], the ambient air quality of the crude oil-rich city of Port Harcourt has been reported to be polluted with particulate matter of petroleum origin, especially PM 10 (averaged 494 µg/m3) and PM 2.5 (averaged 155 µg/m3), and its constituent compounds including PAHs [23][24][25][26]. Using secondary data from hospital records, a signi cant increase in trends of respiratory morbidity, and mortality in Port Harcourt over the years, have been documented [20,23]. While Particulate matter containing PAHs results from incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, inhabitants are exposed to PAHs through air inhalation and re-suspended soil and dust, consumption of food and water, and dermal contact with soil and dust [10,17,27].…”

“…While drinking-water and soil are generally minor sources of PAHs [17,27], in developing nations, biomass and fossil fuel are generally used for both industrial and domestic combustions and ambient environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), remains dominant, with no ue and microenvironments tted with non-airtight; the contribution of inhalation to PAHS exposure could be very high. Hence, inhalation would be the main contributor to the total daily intake of PAHs [17,23,25]. The kinetics, metabolism, and toxicity of PAHs from different routes of exposure have been well demonstrated in published documents [10,29].…”

“…The kinetics, metabolism, and toxicity of PAHs from different routes of exposure have been well demonstrated in published documents [10,29]. Indoor and outdoor Inhalation remains of critical discussion, especially in airborne particulate matter polluted ambient, such as the atmosphere of Port Harcourt [23][24][25][26].…”

“…Unfortunately, there have been limited in vitro and or in vivo studies [30] using animal tissues to assess the potential health effects of indoor and outdoor particulate matter pollution in Port Harcourt metropolis. To further make this complicated, ndings from studies using secondary hospital data [20,23], air quality index measurements and satellite determination of particulate load [24][25][26] are contradictory as there might be confounding factors other than particulate matter pollution and its constituents responsible for the observed change in trends of morbidity. Conversely, etiology from hospital records is neither reliable for lack of data quality and accuracy [49][50][51][52] and is not speci cally linked to environmental pollutants including particulate matter and PAHs.…”