Abstract
This study assessed variations of ambient volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide (CO) levels in Blantyre City, Malawi. Volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide measurement was done using the Multi-Gas Monitor between August and December, 2010. Rapid urbanization and lack of standard enforcement on air pollution as well as lack of data on pollutant levels in the city prompted this study. The study focused on methane volatile organic compounds and non-methane volatile compounds besides carbon monoxide. Results of the analysis showed that non-methane volatile compound levels were highest at public bus terminuses with 12.40 ± 0.83 ppm, and lowest for industrial locations (2.16 ± 0.09 ppm). However, all points registered zero (0.00) ppm for methane volatile organic compounds. Similarly, mean levels of carbon monoxide were highest at public bus terminuses with 10.92 ± 0.74 ppm, and lowest for industrial locations (1.11 ± 0.13 ppm). With the exception of Ginnery Corner, all the sampling points had levels of both parameters within the air quality standards. The study revealed a spatial and diurnal variation of the pollutants in all sampling points. It further revealed that the sources of these pollutants are diverse with vehicular emissions being the main source for Masauko Chipembere highway. Key words: Air pollution, ambient, permissible limit, urban, vehicular emission
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization, about onethird of Africa’s disease burden can be attributed to environmental hazards and, among these, air pollution is a significant contributor (Prüss-Üstün and Corvalán, 2006)
Rapid urbanization in developing countries has led to increased air pollution due to increased vehicular and industrial emissions (Fenger, 1999; Akimoto, 2003)
The phenomenon can be attributed to high traffic intensity that emits large quantities of NMVOCs and carbon monoxide (CO) (Baumbach et al, 1995)
Summary
According to the World Health Organization, about onethird of Africa’s disease burden can be attributed to environmental hazards and, among these, air pollution is a significant contributor (Prüss-Üstün and Corvalán, 2006). Examples of atmospheric pollutants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide (CO). The use of fossil fuels (for example, gasoline and coal) is the dominant activity aspect that introduces abundant amounts of VOCs and CO into urban atmospheres (Chow and Chan, 2003; USEPA, 2010; Chen et al, 2011). Several studies on urban air pollution have been carried out elsewhere (Mendoza et al, 2009; Makra et al, 2010) and impacts of such pollution on human health (Peters et al, 2000; WHO, 2003; Lu et al, 2004) and ecosystem (IPCC, 2007; Fowler et al, 2009) are on record. There is no published data on such pollution in Blantyre City and air pollution monitoring is not routinely done
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