How air pollution is silently choking life out of Nigerians in major cities

You get patients coming in complaining of chest pain, dry throat, nausea, aggravated respiratory diseases among other respiratory problems, it often turns out that they have been exposed to the effects of poor air quality

on generating power themselves resulting in generator fumes which comprise a “lethal cocktail of poisonous and environmentally unfriendly gases, including carbon monoxide and other noxious products. Carbon monoxide could be a serious health hazard. Indoors or in close proximity, the gas quickly infiltrates living spaces and incapacitates occupants,” the report said.

Also the National Bureau of Statistics put Nigeria’s vehicle population at 11.46 million with commercial vehicles accounting for the largest share. Commercial vehicles accounts for 53.8%, private 44.5percent, Government 1.6percent and the remaining 0.1percent goes to diplomatic vehicles.

Rita Akpbulor a medical practitioner explained that exposure to poor quality Air can bring about respiratory diseases emphysema, bronchitis, lung damage, and asthma among others.

“You get patients coming in complaining of chest pain, dry throat, nausea, aggravated respiratory diseases among other respiratory problems, it often turns out that they have been exposed to the effects of poor air quality.”

In 2012 WHO revealed In Lagos alone an estimated seven million people died from diseases related to indoor and outdoor air pollution.

The UN health body in a similarly report, Onitsha, Kaduna, Aba and Umuahia were among four of the 20 African cities with the worst air quality in the world.

WHO measured air quality by examining the annual mean concentration of particulate matter in nearly 3,000 cities across the world with populations of at least 100,000.

Onitsha’s average annual PM10 was 594 – nearly 30 times greater than the Who-recommended annual level of 20.

Kaduna, Aba, and Umuahia cities were ranked among the top 20 worst cities measured by PM10, ranking 8th, 9th, and 19th, respectively.

“Part of the problem is that environmental regulations and enforcement are lax; people are more exposed to air pollution but less able to protect themselves from exposure either in the open, in the workplace or at home,” Ako Amadi, an environmentalist said

“We need to pay attention to the different types of air pollution and their health consequences, many people living in urban informal settlements (or slums) are exposed to high levels of indoor and outdoor air pollution.”

But for Onome Ojakovor, a fish seller in Boundary Ajegunle finding her daily bread is more important to her.

“This is all I know how to do and how I know can be done telling me about the risk will not change anything.”