Particle (Soot) Pollution in Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria—Double Air Pollution Burden? Understanding and Tackling Potential Environmental Public Health Impacts

Abstract

Residents of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria, and its environs have since the last quarter of 2016 been experiencing adverse environmental impacts of particle (soot) pollution. This “double air pollution burden”—the unresolved prevailing widespread air pollution and the “added” emergence of particle pollution considered an environmental health threat, led to protests against government inaction in some parts of the state. In February 2017, several months following the onset of the pollution, the government declared an Emergency, and set up a Task Force to investigate and find a solution to the problem. Global research suggests that particle pollution correlates positively with a range of morbidities and an increased risk of mortality among exposed populations. This underscores the need for rigorous implementation of existing environmental legislations established to protect the environment and public health. Nigeria’s rapid response to the 2014–2015 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and successful prevention of its spread provides some lessons for addressing such environmental health emergencies—strategic action, including effective environmental risk communication, environmental audit, and monitoring is key. Epidemiological studies of the affected population is imperative. A concerted effort by the Rivers State Ministries of Environment and Health, as well as academia and private organizations is required. Public service campaign in terms of government providing up to date information on the existing situation is required.

The quality of public sources of drinking water in oil-bearing communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

“…(Standards Organization of Nigeria, 2007) Temperature, turbidity, chlorine, dissolved oxygen, magnesium, total coliform, fecal coliform, oil/grease and TPH values were all found to be higher than the national drinking water standard. This finding is corroborated by the research findings of Braide et al (2016) and Ugwoha et al (2017); who reported elevated temperatures in surface and groundwater water samples that were tested. Egwurugwu et al (2013) also reported elevated temperature, dissolved oxygen as well as magnesium levels in water samples obtained from gas flaring areas.…”

“…Another study identified distortions in water samples gotten from these gas flaring areas as a direct consequences of the flaring activities which are capable of distorting the chemical and biological composition of the drinking water in affected areas. (Ugwoha & Omenogor, 2017) Also notable in this study was that the pH (of some samples), bicarbonate, iron, fluoride and sulphate values of the tested water samples were found to be lower than the national drinking water standards. These findings are similar to the findings of Dami et al (2012) who reported reduced levels of the above stated parameters.…”

“…Crude oil exploration in Nigeria which has been incessantly plagued with oil spills mainly as a result of technical errors, pipeline vandalism etc., together with harmful activities such as gas flaring, has adversely affected the health of the populace as well as the biological, economic and socio-cultural elements of the oil-bearing communities of Nigeria (Efeke et al, 2015;Ugwoha & Omenogor, 2017). The activities of crude oil exploration, exploitation and production, including the activity of gas flaring, have been widely reported to negatively impact the normal indices of safe drinking water in these oil-bearing communities as a result of the evaporation, dissolution, oxidization and crystallization of the various components of crude oil whenever an oil spill occurs (Ekpenyong & Udofia, 2015;Ugwoha & Omenogor, 2017;Yakubu, 2017b) The findings of this study are suggestive of the negative effects that gas flaring and oil exploration has on the drinking water quality of oil-bearing communities. It is, however, disturbing to note that the differences in the various physical, chemical and biological constituents of tested water samples gotten from gas flaring areas and those from non-gas flaring areas were not significant.…”

Valorization of the Urban Environment of South Serbia From the Air Quality Aspect

“…Izloženost ljudi zagađenom vazduhu može dovesti do različitih zdravstvenih efekata, zavisno od vrste zagađenja, koncentracije, trajanja i učestalosti izloženosti i štetnosti zagađujućih materija [1]. Najozbiljnija ekološka pretnja urbanoj populaciji potiče upravo od zagađenja vazduha, s obzirom na to da se povezuje sa tri miliona preranih smrti svake godine [2]. Jedan od značajnih faktora promene kvaliteta vazduha je čađ, koja najčešće nastaje kao posledica nepotpunog sagorevanja fosilnih goriva.…”

“…Jedan od značajnih faktora promene kvaliteta vazduha je čađ, koja najčešće nastaje kao posledica nepotpunog sagorevanja fosilnih goriva. Čađ čine veoma fine čestice koje mogu dospeti u organizam putem inhalacije vazduha u zatvorenom prostoru ili spoljašnjoj sredini, ingestije kontaminirane hrane, kao i kontakta sa kožom [2,3]. Obavezan sastojak zagađenog vazduha urbanih sredina je i sumpor dioksid.…”