Outdoor Air Quality Index of Biomass Combustion in the Niger Delta, Nigeria: A Health Impact Perspective

Background: Pollutant gases such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) are released during certain anthropogenic activities including cooking with biomass. This study evaluated the air quality index of CO, NO2 and SO2 emissions during outdoor biomass combustion in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Triplicate sampling was carried out at 3 distances in 4 different states for one Calendar year across the two distinct seasons viz: dry (November, January and March) and wet (May, July and September) in the Niger Delta. A portable multiprobe AEROQUAL meter with head-probe of varying detection range of 0 - 100 ppm for CO and NO2, and 0 - 10ppm for SO2 was used. Result: The results showed that CO, NO2 and SO2 ranged from 0.00 - 1.58 ppm, 0.00 - 0.08 ppm and 0.00 - 0.06 ppm, respectively. There was statistical variation p<0.05 across the different months for CO and SO2, locations for NO2 and distances for all the gases, and most of their interactions. The concentrations of the pollutant gases decreased as distances away from the emission source increased. The concentration of CO, NO2 and SO2 were ≤ Nigerian Ambient air quality guidelines. The air quality index showed slight to severe contamination at 10ft distances in both seasons of study. Conclusion: The air quality index indicates deleterious health impacts at 10ft emission source. Hence there is need for routine monitoring of these gases in the ambient air to obtain indices that are relevant in preventing risks related to human exposure.