Sources of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Pollution in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria

Abstract

The Niger Delta in the Southern part of Nigeria had been captioned ‘a region of environmental degradation’ including carbon monoxide (CO) pollution in the World Bank study of the region in 1995 and in the UNEP Environmental assessment of Ogoniland in 2011. The objective of the study was to ascertain the sources of CO production in the Niger Delta, the availability of Nigerian national guidelines on CO pollution, Nigerian national and regional register of CO poisoning and air quality check for CO in the region. A mixed method study (observational-descriptive and systemic review was carried out. Sources of CO production were visited, guidelines on environmental protection, CO and its register and data on daily air monitoring were looked for in Rivers State and the Nigerian Federal Ministries of Environment, Health and Justice. The result showed that there were no guidelines on environmental protection against CO pollution, no register of its poisoning and no monitoring of its ambient and indoor air concentrations in the Niger Delta. Sources of its pollution were tobacco fumes, generator, firewood, kerosene, bush and refuse burning, fire out-brake, barbecues, burning of fossil fuels in old vehicles, crude oil and gas industry (three refineries, oil wells, flow stations and gas flaring, crude oil and condensate spills, vapours from crude and refined oil storage, processing and transportation facilities, petrochemical plants and gas liquefaction plants). In conclusion the Niger Delta was plagued with numerous sources of CO emission and ineffective environmental protection laws. There was therefore urgent need for revival of regional and national environmental laws, maintenance of registers for CO poisoning and conduct of daily air quality check for CO and other gases in the Niger Delta and in Nigeria at large.