Abstract
In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of using miniaturised optical particle counters (OPCs) for understanding AQ in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, the potential use of OPCs for high-density ground-based air pollution networks and the use of derived data for quantification of atmospheric emissions were investigated. Correlation and trend analysis for particulate matter (PM), including PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 were undertaken on hourly basis alongside modelled meteorological parameters. Hourly averaged PM values were 500 μg/m3, 90 μg/m3 and 60 μg/m3 for PM10, PM2.5 and PM1, respectively and Pearson's correlation coefficient ranged between 0.97 and 0.98. These levels are in the agreement with range of PM emission reported for these types of environmental settings. PM was locally associated with low wind speeds (<= 2 ms−1) and was closely linked to anthropogenic activities. This study provides a benchmark for future AQ and demonstrates the feasibility of the current generation of OPCs for AQ monitoring in environments typical of large parts of West and Sub Saharan Africa.
Highlights
Air pollution is a major environmental risk globally to health with more than 90% of the world's population living in regions where AQ levels do not meet the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) recommended thresholds (Health Effects Institute, 2019)
Though there are still questions regarding the accuracy of low-cost sensors (Lewis et al, 2016), their ability to obtain high-resolution spatiotemporal data makes them suitable for extending air quality monitoring networks
Snyder et al (2013); Rai et al (2017), Jerrett et al (2005) and Castell et al (2017) have shown that the reported data can be used to establish the link between atmospheric exposure to human health, emergency response management, community's awareness of air pollution and complement regulatory air quality monitoring stations
Summary
Air pollution is a major environmental risk globally to health with more than 90% of the world's population living in regions where AQ levels do not meet the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) recommended thresholds (Health Effects Institute, 2019). Different components of air pollutants and their contribution to premature deaths have been documented by WHO (World Health Organization, 2006). Global climate change is projected to have a significant adverse effect on Africa and is intrinsically linked to air pollution (Ramanathan and Feng, 2009). This implies that AQ policies would be most effective if they are linked to climate change policies. Of particular interest in this study are the relatively high levels of PM emissions resulting from combustion (including vehicular) as identified by the Ghana
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