The State of Ambient Air Quality in Two Ugandan Cities: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Spatial Assessment

Bruce J. Kirenga, Qingyu Meng, Frederik Van Gemert, Hellen Aanyu-Tukamuhebwa, Niels Chavannes, Achilles Katamba, Gerald Obai, Thys Van der Molen, Stephan Schwander and Vahid Mohsenin
Additional contact information
Bruce J. Kirenga: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
Qingyu Meng: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Center for Global Public Health, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, NJ 07107, USA
Frederik Van Gemert: Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen 9700 RB, The Netherlands
Hellen Aanyu-Tukamuhebwa: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
Niels Chavannes: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2333 ZA, The Netherlands
Achilles Katamba: Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatics Unit, Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
Gerald Obai: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda
Thys Van der Molen: Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen 9700 RB, The Netherlands
Stephan Schwander: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Center for Global Public Health, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, NJ 07107, USA
Vahid Mohsenin: Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: Air pollution is one of the leading global public health risks but its magnitude in many developing countries’ cities is not known. We aimed to measure the concentration of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and ozone (O 3 ) pollutants in two Ugandan cities (Kampala and Jinja). PM 2.5, O 3 , temperature and humidity were measured with real-time monitors, while NO 2 and SO 2 were measured with diffusion tubes. We found that the mean concentrations of the air pollutants PM 2.5 , NO 2, SO 2 and O 3 were 132.1 ?g/m 3 , 24.9 µg/m 3 , 3.7 µg/m 3 and 11.4 ?g/m 3 , respectively. The mean PM 2.5 concentration is 5.3 times the World Health Organization (WHO) cut-off limits while the NO 2, SO 2 and O 3 concentrations are below WHO cut-off limits. PM 2.5 levels were higher in Kampala than in Jinja (138.6 ?g/m 3 vs. 99.3 ?g/m 3 ) and at industrial than residential sites (152.6 ?g/m 3 vs. 120.5 ?g/m 3 ) but residential sites with unpaved roads also had high PM 2.5 concentrations (152.6 ?g/m 3 ). In conclusion, air pollutant concentrations in Kampala and Jinja in Uganda are dangerously high. Long-term studies are needed to characterize air pollution levels during all seasons, to assess related public health impacts, and explore mitigation approaches.

Keywords: ambient air pollution; particulate matter; nitrogen dioxide; sulfur dioxide; ozone; Uganda; Kampala; Jinja (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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