Effects of Airborne Particulate Matter on Respiratory Health in a Community near a Cement Factory in Chilanga, Zambia: Results from a Panel Study

Abstract

We conducted a panel study to investigate seasonal variations in concentrations of airborne PM2.5 and PM10 and the effects on respiratory health in a community near a cement factory; in Chilanga; Zambia. A panel of 63 and 55 participants aged 21 to 59 years from a community located at the edge of the factory within 1 km and a control community located 18 km from the factory respectively; were followed up for three climatic seasons July 2015 to February 2016. Symptom diary questionnaires were completed and lung function measurements taken daily for 14 days in each of the three climatic seasons. Simultaneously, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in ambient air were monitored at a fixed site for each community. Mean seasonal concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 ranged from 2.39–24.93 μg/m3 and 7.03–68.28 μg/m3 respectively in the exposed compared to the control community 1.69–6.03 μg/m3 and 2.26–8.86 μg/m3. The incident rates of reported respiratory symptoms were higher in the exposed compared to the control community: 46.3 vs. 13.8 for cough; 41.2 vs. 9.6 for phlegm; 49.0 vs.12.5 for nose; and 13.9 vs. 3.9 for wheeze per 100 person-days. There was a lower performance on all lung indices in the exposed community compared to the control; overall the mean FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) and FVC (forced vital capacity) predicted percentage for the exposed was six and four percentage points lower than the control. Restriction of industrial emissions coupled with on-going monitoring and regulatory enforcement are needed to ensure that PM (airborne particulate matter) levels in the ambient air are kept within recommended levels to safeguard the respiratory health of nearby community residents.

Levels of PM 10 and PM 2.5 and Respiratory Health Impacts on School-Going Children in Kenya

“…Similar studies have found that children attending schools near cement factories among other industrial sources were more vulnerable to higher levels of PM 2.5 . 42 Although the wind speed was positively correlated with PM, PM 2.5 levels were reduced by 24.8% in classrooms compared to those in outdoor air. This could be due to the windows and doors of school E which were facing upwind, allowing less infiltration of particles.…”

Lung Function and Respiratory Health of Populations Living Close to Quarry Sites in Palestine: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Our results indicate that living in close proximity to quarry sites, which is a main source of dust, is a potential factor for increasing the prevalence of eye and respiratory symptoms. It has been found that dust is one of the most invasive and potentially irritating sources for the eyes and respiratory system [ 14 , 15 , 36 ]. Research has shown that dust concentration, deposition rates, and potential impacts tend to decrease rapidly away from the dust source [ 3 , 23 ].…”

Environmental Health Research in Africa: Important Progress and Promising Opportunities

“…For example, dust was noted as a trigger for allergic rhinitis (Adegbiji et al, 2018) and house dust/dust mite exposure was associated with asthma (Bardei et al, 2016;Flatin et al, 2018). Particulate matter was evaluated in 24 of the indoor air pollution research studies, most focusing on PM10 (Abou-Khadra, 2013;Ibhafidon et al, 2014;Makamure et al, 2016;Jafta et al, 2017;Nkhama et al, 2017;Nkosi et al, 2017;Mentz et al, 2018) and PM2.5 exposures (Oluwole et al, 2013;Chafe et al, 2014;Ibhafidon et al, 2014;Dutta et al, 2017;Lacey et al, 2017;Lin et al, 2017a;Malley et al, 2017;Nkhama et al, 2017;Wylie et al, 2017a;Wylie et al, 2017b;Mentz et al, 2018). Some studies also measured NO, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3 (Jafta et al, 2017;Wylie et al, 2017a).…”