Assessment Of Air Quality Impacts On Women And Children In The Accra Metropolis
Abstract
Women and children within developing countries and for that matter Ghana are engaged in
domestic and commercial activities that make them prone to inhalation of outdoor particle
pollution, which may have effects or exacerbate existing respiratory diseases. It is for this
reason that this study investigated the adverse health effects of air quality on women and
children. This was done through the measurement of particulate matter sizes less or equal to
10 microns (PM10) on major roadside stations and the collection of respiratory data from
various public hospitals. The MiniVol air sampler model TAS - 5.0 was used for collection of
PM10 on a 24-hour schedule every sixth day for five (5) months unto a glass fibre filter in
which the mass concentration was determined gravimetrically. Respiratory data on women
and children composed of diagnoses recorded by the six hospitals around the PM10 sampling
stations from 2010 to 2012 were used for the statistical analysis. Questionnaires were
distributed to the female population above 15years to ascertain responses on exposure and
awareness of Air Pollution. Meteorological data was also acquired to determine whether the
changes in temperature and relative humidity have effect on the PM10 concentration and the
rate of respiratory cases. Excel and SPSS software were used for the data analysis and to
determine the correlation among PM10, meteorological data and respiratory data. The results
indicated that respiratory cases were higher in children below five years and in women
between the ages 20 and 49 years. Also, majority of the PM10 measurements along roadside
stations were above EPA-Ghana, WHO and USNAAQS reference levels and therefore the air
quality along major roads are unhealthy and impacting on the health of the largest active
reproductive working class of women in our society as well as children that can be described
as future leaders. Finally, the correlations among mean PM10 concentration, temperature,
relative humidity and respiratory data for the study period were statistically significant
(P < 0.05 and P < 0.01) indicating an association between the environmental variables.
Description
Thesis (MPhil)
Keywords
Air Quality, Women And Children, Accra Metropolis, Ghana