Evaluation of Airborne Particulate Matter in Some Selected Cities in Delta State, Nigeria

Air pollution in Nigeria and many other countries all over the world is a big problem of the 21st century caused by globalization and industrialization. Oil exploration in the Niger Delta region, including Delta state, has grossly reduced the quality of air in the region. This research work focused on evaluation of air borne particulate matter in major cities such as Warri, Ughelli, Sapele and Ugbenu in Delta State. This was done to determine their concentrations, impacts of the pollutants, health implications and possible management measures on lives and environment. Particulate matter in air samples were obtained using Casella microDust Pro Aerosol monitoring system and monitored for a period of one year covering both wet and dry seasons. Polyurethane Foam Filter (PUF) gravimetric adapter was used to provide size-selective sampling for PM10 and PM2.5 fractions. The results showed that Total Suspended Particulate (TSP), Particulate Matter 10 (PM10) and Particulate Matter 2.5(PM2.5).  ranged between 1.02 – 12.36 mg/m3 (average 5.03 ± 0.38), 0.17 – 10.5 mg/m3 (average 2.13 ± 0.26) and 0.44 – 6.64 mg/m3 (average 2.17 ± 0.20) respectively; clearly exceeded the regulatory limits of Federal Ministry of environment (FMENV) and National ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) in both seasons. The study also showed that Matrix (Warri), Amukpe (Sapele) and Ekakpamre (Ughelli) recorded the highest concentration of particulates in the three cities studied. Higher values were obtained in the dry season than the wet season. The correlation of meteorological parameters with TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 shows that only temperature had a weak, but significant, correlation while other parameters did not show any correlation with the concentration of the particulates. The low correlation or absence of correlation between the particulates and meteorological parameters suggests that anthropogenic contributions are significant to their concentration in the study areas. This can be attributed to high level of fuel combustion from motor vehicles, power generation and industrial facilities. The pollution could also be due to dusty industries, windblown dust, crushing and grinding operations. Ugbenu, the control location also recorded high level of particulates; this is due to residential fireplace, wood stoves, unsuspended dust from untarred road, bush burning and windblown dust predominant in the area