Assessment of Ambient Air Quality and Meteorological Influences in Industrial Hubs of Rivers State, Nigeria

Bright Okey Chinda; Prince Joe Nna; Friday Kpee

doi:10.63561/japs.v3i1.1185

Authors

Bright Okey Chinda Department of Chemistry, Ignatius Ajuru Unversity Of Education, Port Harcourt
Prince Joe Nna Department of Chemistry, Ignatius Ajuru Unversity Of Education, Port Harcourt
Friday Kpee Department of Chemistry, Ignatius Ajuru Unversity Of Education, Port Harcourt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63561/japs.v3i1.1185

Keywords:

Air Quality, Industrial Pollution, Meteorological Parameters, Particulate Matter

Abstract

Concerns regarding the negative effects of declining air quality on the environment and public health have grown as a result of industrialization in Nigeria's Niger Delta. In four significant industrial cities in Rivers State—Port Harcourt, Eleme, Bonny, and Omoku—the concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured. In order to investigate their correlation with pollutant dispersion, meteorological data were recorded, including temperature (31.51°C–35.10°C), relative humidity (70.10%–81.31%), and noise levels (>94 dB in Eleme). World Health Organization (WHO) limits for particulate matter were exceeded; in Omoku, PM2.5 peaked at 1.100 mg/m³ (limit: 0.025 mg/m³), while PM1.0 peaked at 1.202 mg/m³ (limit: 0.050 mg/m³). Both the SO2 and NO2 concentrations were significantly above allowable limits, ranging from 64.57 to 101.36 µg/m³ and 70.33 to 110.26 µg/m³, respectively. The findings highlight the relationship between weather patterns and the buildup of pollutants in industrial settings, which has consequences for managing air quality and modelling climate health.

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