Emission of Combustible Gases at Traffic and Practising Waste Dumpsite in Freetown, Sierra Leone: A Pilot Study

Abstract

An assessment of the emission of combustible gases in developing countries requires reliable analytical realtime monitors that can rapidly screen them with minimal handling. Considering the expensive nature of monitoring environmental pollutants, chemical sensors are expected to play a pivotal role in measuring and recording environmental data. The Drager X am 5000 was used to report emission levels of combustible gases in this study, namely; nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) and carbon monoxide (CO) at traffic and practising waste dumpsite in Freetown, the main city of Sierra Leone. Hourly average values for the three pollutants were recorded in the morning, afternoon and evening periods, respectively. The range of values were 18 -76 ppb for NO 2 , 211 -506 ppb for SO 2 and 11 -14 ppm for CO at traffic site; and 6 -16 ppb for NO 2 , 118 -276 ppb for SO 2 and 8 -15 ppm for CO at the dumpsite, respectively. There were significantly high hourly variations for NO 2 and SO 2 at the traffic site and for CO and SO 2 at the dumpsite. Evidence of peak values showed emission levels that were considered dangerous for human exposure. This pilot study revealed that combustible gases released in certain areas of the capital city are a concern for both public health officials and environmental advocates.

Distribution, sources, and ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in agricultural and dumpsite soils in Sierra Leone

“…The findings in our study are in agreement with those reported previously. 53 It was observed that anthropogenic activities contributed to more PAH pollutants at KT, followed by WL. These activities could be potentially harmful to living organisms and the ecosystem to a certain extent since they are PAH generators.…”

Environmental and Health Risk of Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) Levels Around some Dumpsites in the Niger Delta Region: A Case Study of Yenagoa Metropolis

“…Another aspect of air pollution is Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM). Air pollution is largely linked to high rates of distress and mortalities resulting from respiratory and cardiovascular ailments [8 -11], with the emission of some basic pollutant gases (NOX, SOX and CO) from most municipalities indicated as major contributors [11].…”