Abstract
Urban air pollution, despite its dangerous health impact, is poorly studied in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Epidemiological data on this silent killer are almost non-existent for cities of Cameroon, which seems to be one of the sSA countries where populations are highly exposed to air pollutants. Objective: The present study was conducted in Douala city, and aimed at determining the association of urban air quality degradation with respiratory and systemic health in active populations exposed to air pollutants on a daily basis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2017 to 2019 in 1182 active people consisting of motorbikes drivers (MD), outdoor urban workers (UW), and fuel station sellers (FSS). A standardized questionnaire was used to document participants’ data. One hundred and twenty-six (126) motorbike drivers were selected to evaluate the relationship between haematological (white blood cells, platelets) and inflammatory (C-reactive protein—CRP) biomarkers, and air pollution; compared with those of a sixty-five (65) motorbike drivers’ control group enrolled in Dschang, another town situated at about 216.3 km from Douala. Results: Among those recruited in urban Douala, some respiratory disorders such as running nostrils, colds, common fever, sore throats, dry cough, wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath and systemic symptoms such as headaches, eye irritation, conjunctivitis, watery eyes and general tiredness were very common among MD, UW, and FSS. Regarding biological data, blood monocytes, lymphocytes and CRP were found to be significantly increased among selected MD in Douala, compared to control groups in Dschang. Conversely, a more significant decrease in blood neutrophil level was observed among MD in Douala than control groups in Dschang. These changes of haematological markers were significantly associated with place of residence, site of activity, and daily duration. Conclusion: Our results suggest the risk of suffering from respiratory impairments and systemic symptoms with exposure to urban air pollution among active people working near highways in Douala.
Highlights
Air pollution (AP) has become a real problem of public health, with several adverse effects in exposed people
Our study showed the influence of place of residence, site of activity, and duration of activity and daily duration on changes of neutrophils, monocytes lymphocytes and C-reactive protein in selected motorbike drivers
This study aimed at depicting the relation between clinical manifestations and blood haematological and inflammatory markers with air pollution among active people in Douala, Cameroon
Summary
Air pollution (AP) has become a real problem of public health, with several adverse effects in exposed people. Some of air pollutants result from human activity, mainly industrial and urban traffic activities. They are grouped as primary or secondary pollutants. The first group is directly produced and includes mainly particulate matter (PM) such as PM10 and PM2.5 , carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx ), or sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The second group stems from the interaction between primary pollutants and includes compounds such as ozone (O3 ) resulting from the interaction between NOx and VOCs [1]. According to the Lancet Commission on pollution and health, about 9 million people
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