Assessment of particulate matter in the ambient air of Sharada Area of Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Air quality in the residential areas adjacent to the industrial regions is of great concern due to the association with human health risks. In this work, the concentration level and composition of particulate matter in the ambient air of Sharada industrial area was investigated. The concentration level was analyzed using a haz-dust particulate detector. Particulate matter samples were also collected from four randomly selected sampling sites using a high volume air sampler for qualitative and quantitative
laboratory analysis. The samples were analyzed qualitatively for heavy metals using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Spectrometer and the detected heavy metals were analyzed quantitatively using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS). The mean concentration levels of particulate matter were found to be 187µg/m³ and 422.44µg/m³ for residential and industrial sites respectively. Cadmium, lead and zinc were also found to be present in the particulate matter with mean  concentrations of 334.55ng/m³, 110,00ng/m³, 54.75ng/m³ and 308.85ng/m³, 89.95ng/m³, 43.65ng/m³ for Cd, Pb, and Zn for industrial and residential samples respectively. Both the concentration of the particulate matter and the composition of the various heavy metals were found to be above the limit set by WHO. Therefore, the industrial workers as well as the people residing in areas adjacent to the
industrial areas are prone to contracting respiratory and heart related illnesses.