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AIR QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH IN THE VICINITY OF CEMENT FACTORY AT EWEKORO, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
Cement plays a very vital role in economic and social relevance because of its involvement in building and infrastructure. The aim of this study; is to assess the air quality and human health in the vicinity of cement factory at Ewekoro, Ogun State. The particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10) were sampled at 100, 500, 1000, and 1500 m (control) away from the gate using standard methods. Ninety – seven copies of questionnaire were administered to elicit health impact of the air pollution information. The data collected were subject to differential and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 22.0 version). The results were compared with World Health Organisation (WHO) Air Quality Guideline. However, the possibility of particulate matters causing health hazard was calculated using Air Quality Index (AQI). The PM2.5 and PM10 across locations were above the WHO limit of 15 and 45 µg/m3 respectively. There were significant differences between the average PM2.5 and PM10 across all the sampling points. The PM2.5 AQI; at 100, 500, and 1000 m are 148.5, 131.5 and 125 respectively; hence they are Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG). The PM10 AQI are 172, 158.2, and 154.3 at 100, 500, and 1000 m respectively; meaning they are unhealthy. The commonest ailment suffered was cough/catarrh (51.55 %). There is a positive correlation between air pollution and human health. The cement factory pollutes its immediate environment with PM2.5 and PM10 and they have health implications.