Geospatial Analysis and Modeling of Indoor Air Quality in Some Residential Areas in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

The proliferation of industrial activities globally has led to the increase in the concentration of hazardous pollutants in the atmosphere. We thus hypothesized that Port Harcourt, an industrialized city, and the host to a foremost refinery in Africa, would have a high concentration of pollutants in indoor and outdoor environments. We took air samples with a gas monitor (Aero qual series 500) from indoor and outdoor environments in 40 residential areas. The sampling sites were georeferenced with Garmin GPS and geospatially analyzed using ArcGIS. Predictive models were used to determine the concentration of Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and Carbon monoxide (CO). Our results reveal that SO2, NO2, and CO concentrations were high in the high-density areas compared to the low-density regions. In most areas, the concentration is higher than the FMEnv and NAAQS permissible limits in both the dry and wet seasons. Diobu, a highly populated has the highest pollution level. For example, the concentration of CO in this location was >15 ppm during the wet season. The study revealed that a high influx of vehicular traffic, indoor and outdoor cooking with stoves and firewood, use of fossil fuel generators, and tobacco smoking are some factors that led to a high concentration of gases in the residential areas. We thus recommend that old vehicles should be banned; also the use of firewood should be discouraged to reduce pollution. There should also be regular monitoring of the indoor and outdoor air quality.