July 4, 2024
Air quality to simply put can be referred to as “the condition of the air”. This can further be treated as good (air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health concern); moderate (poses health concern for people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution); unhealthy for sensitive groups (health concern for older adults, children, active people and those with heart or lung diseases may experience health effects); unhealthy (health concern for older adults, children, active people and those with heart or lung diseases may experience more serious health effects, everyone may experience health effect); very unhealthy (health concern for everyone).
The World Health Organization (WHO) described air pollution as “the world’s major environmental health risk” (WHO, 2014). The World Bank Group (WBG) in a 2016 report-the cost of air pollution also reported that “air pollution kills 6 times more than malaria and 4 times more than HIV/AIDs.” Also, “520 million children in Africa do not breathe clean air” (UNICEF, 2016)
In our part of the world (developing countries and particularly in the context of Africa) however, the subject is less treated due to the human capital involved and the cost of instrumentation coupled with mandatory routine calibration and maintenance of the sparsely distributed air quality monitoring equipment. In Ghana for example, there are only 16 monitoring stations limited to Accra with a population of about 2.5 million people. Interestingly, not all these monitoring stations are functional and data on air quality is collected on every 6 day basis through the gravimetric method subject to human error (personal communication, Collins Gameli Hodoli, 2018). (This method is prone to some errors but still used widely worldwide. It might be better to focus on other aspects as- temporal resolution is lost due to once in six days regime, and due to integrated 24 hour measurements, we do not have information on how the concentrations change over a day).
Additionally, complex and multiple emission sources such as open burning, exhaust fumes from increasing vehicle fleet and vehicles operating without catalytic converters, smoke from biomass usage for energy generation in low-income households, windstorms from dusty environments and unpaved roads to mention but a few are characteristics of Africa. This therefore requires comprehensive, rigorous and routine studies with emerging cutting-edge state-of-the-art technologies to better understand the drivers of health impacts and possibly develop better mitigation options.
This implies that we must take actions to fully understand the quality of the air we breathe. These actions may be from individuals, governmental agencies/ ministries, non-profits, the academia and air quality professionals. The thoughts expressed in the following paragraphs could be considered.
It will be easier for interested individuals, non-profits, scientists, policy makers and regulatory bodies (e.g. the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency-GhEPA) to effectively fight air inequality if the public understands the relationship between air quality and health. In our part of the world, majority of the population is not aware of the fact that air pollution contributes significantly to mortality rate. Pollution related death is of a major concern in Africa but the public lacks knowledge of this. Advocacy and outreach programs should not only be ad-hoc but a continues approach to educate and sensitise the public on air pollution as well as it’s related health effects such as stroke, cancer and respiratory infections to mention but a few. The GhEPA can partner with educational institutions, hospitals and non-profits to undertake outreach projects. This could be quarterly every year and rotational if not concurrently in all regions within the country (Ghana).
We can effectively fight what we know. As we embark on robust advocacy and outreach projects, it will be interesting to integrate this with open data source on AQ. By allowing the public to know the exact concentration of the key species such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), speciated particulates (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10) and the recommended limits will help in fighting air pollution. Open data source on AQ simply implies empowering the public with relevant data/ information on air quality. The public can therefore make informed decisions based on their understanding of the data and also ask relevant questions. It will also help the regulatory bodies to effectively implement mitigation policies in the long term. For example a simple mobile application can be used to sensitize the public. This will be effective if AQ data is readily available on the open source (Yakokoe; a mobile application developed by Clean Air One Atmosphere-a non-profit in Ghana feeds on open data to meaningfully communicate data on AQ using the USEPA Air Quality Index). This is just an example of many other approaches which can be used if AQ data is made available to the public. Ironically, in Ghana and many parts of Africa, AQ data is considered sensitive and only found in governmental reports. This makes it very difficult for the public to understand what goes on around them when it comes to air quality.
Emerging low-cost sensor nodes can be employed to undertake air quality monitoring when properly operated. These emerging environmental sensing technologies have proven to collect air quality data in near real time and at a faster pace. Low-cost sensors are relatively cheaper to acquire, operate and maintain as compared to the “traditional air quality monitoring equipment” for example the high volume samplers used by the GhEPA. These low-cost sensors also come with many advantages such as an integrated GPRS system for data telemetry, GPS for location services and can be developed to suit operational environment to collect data on air quality species of interest. This is not limited to reactive gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2) but also particulate matter such as PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and meteorological parameters namely relative humidity and temperature. Even though this is an emerging technology which comes with challenges especially data quality, low-cost sensors can be co-located with reference equipment to help in data validation and the employment of the protocols on a large scale (dense sensor networks) for AQM in logistically difficult environments such as Ghana. The GhEPA can take advantage of this emerging technology.
We don’t get to select what we breathe; we all breathe what is in the atmosphere. Fighting air inequality should be all-inclusive. With this simple but tangible understanding, we need to include everyone when developing measures to combat air pollution especially in a region where the subject is less treated. Technological breakthroughs have shown that one does not necessarily need a skill in a particular field to get involved in such fields. Low-cost sensors are easy to operate; clubs and local representatives in schools and communities can be trained to operate these sensors. By developing a community of scientists with simple but reliable technologies for air quality monitoring, we can inclusively fight air pollution. People will be more interested in a subject they are involved.
Studies have shown that reliable transportation systems that are eco-friendly can reduce air pollution. Majority of cars used in Africa are second hand imported from the developed countries such as Americas and Europe. Most of these cars are very old, but people continue to give preference to owning these cars due to the absence of other means for transportation. . Also these cars are not regularly and properly serviced. The question I ask at this very stage is when Europe abandons diesel cars, where will it be dumped? Are we also going to consider electric cars? How do we keep them running in an environment with energy challenges? Interestingly, our regulatory institutions are not fully resourced to regularly test the cars on our roads; most of them operate without catalytic converters. NO2 is a respiratory sensitizer which is usually emitted from combustive engines mainly diesel. African leaders should embark on a robust and reliable transportation infrastructure/ system. This will not only reduce the number of cars on our roads but congestion in the cities/ metropolitans. Imagine a rail service from Accra to Tamale within 45 minutes. Many people who live in Accra now but from Tamale may opt for this service to and from work. Let us also be mindful that declining birth rates and increase in chronic non-communicable disease conditions are linked to urbanization especially for those living in poor environmental conditions. The transboundary effect of air pollution also play a role as open burning in community A can be directed by the wind to community B.
Our way of life defines us but we need to shift from practices that risks our survival. Most of the households in Ghana (and most parts of Africa) uses biomass as source of energy especially the urban poor and those in rural areas. There have been cases where households ignore the use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking/ energy source with the notion that “gas” can easily burn their homes even when the gas cylinders were given for free as a way of social intervention. When it comes to vehicles, we lack the maintenance culture! We prefer to use our cars until it breaks down before taking them to the mechanic which is a very bad practice. Ironically, the DVLA is not well equipped to fully undertake maintenance and rigorous testing of the vehicles operating in Ghana. Another interesting case to consider is open burning which has become a norm in Ghana. I was once at James Town and it was shocking to know that the garbage gathered at the coast is usually burnt with tyres and this practice has been accepted by the people living along the coastal belt of James Town. Another worse case is the “abattoir” at James Town where tyres are used to dress meat for consumption. The soot alone generated from these activities is of health concern where the smoke makes others secondary smokers. Do you remember the case of the Judge who died in James Town and why the town has no operational court? Go find out!
One other aspect to consider when talking about air quality is energy source. Oil and gas exploration activities is one of the main anthropogenic causes of air pollution; both from production and usage. Ghana, just like the rest of Africa should consider renewable energy sources which does not pose harm to our environment and public health when best practices are observed. The sunlight, wind and waste can be used appropriately to generate energy for households and even industries. A solar farm on the vast plains in Ghana can contribute significantly to bridge the energy gap.
It is established that air pollution and climate change are intrinsically linked. This implies that an integrated policy approach and collaboration must be employed to combat the two. Policies on combating air pollution should not be developed separately but alongside climate change policies which will create room for trade-offs. Example reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) pollution in the atmosphere can lead to reduction of tropospheric O3 which is a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming (climate change). The agencies/ departments working on air quality and climate change should work hand in hand. (Also there is the need for coordination between urban department, municipal department that takes of civic issues such as waste management, public health department and others that are relevant)
One of the key areas to consider is that GhEPA should as a matter of urgency collaborate with local and international academic institutions as well as non-profits to undertake projects in the context of AQM. This will not only enable the under-resourced GhEPA to undertake AQM projects but also to help the agency explore emerging technologies in the field of AQM and to develop data mining tools to analyse AQM data. This collaboration will ease the pressure on the GhEPA and to effectively communicate its findings on AQ to the general public. For example, University of Ghana (UG) Legon has started employing low-cost sensors to understand their performance in the country which the GhEPA can take advantage of.
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