Personal Exposure to Fine Particles (PM 2.5 ) in Northwest Africa: Case of the Urban City of Bamako in Mali

Alimata Sidibe, Yosuke Sakamoto, Kentaro Murano, Ousmane A. Koita, Ibrahim Traore, Yacouba Dansoko and Yoshizumi Kajii
Additional contact information
Alimata Sidibe: Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Yosuke Sakamoto: Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Kentaro Murano: Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Ousmane A. Koita: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako E 3206, Mali
Ibrahim Traore: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako E 3206, Mali
Yacouba Dansoko: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako E 3206, Mali
Yoshizumi Kajii: Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Personal exposure to particulate matter (PM) from anthropogenic activities is a major concern in African countries, including Mali. However, knowledge of particulates is scant. This study was undertaken to characterize personal exposure to PM 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM 2.5 ) in the city of Bamako in Mali. The exposure to PM 2.5 , through daily activities was observed from September 2020 to February 2021. Participants wore palm-sized optical PM 2.5 sensors on their chest during their daily activities. The exposure levels in four different groups of residents were investigated in relation to their daily activities. The variation in PM 2.5 concentration was measured during different activities in different microenvironments, and the main sources of exposure were identified. The highest average 10 min concentrations were observed at home and in bedrooms, while the participants were using specific products typically used in Africa, Asia, and South America that included insecticides (IST; 999 µg/m 3 ) and incense (ICS; 145 µg/m 3 ), followed by traffic (216 µg/m 3 ) and cooking (150 µg/m 3 ). The lowest average 10 min concentrations were also observed in the same microenvironment lacking IST or ICS (≤14 µg/m 3 ). With no use of specific products, office workers and students were the least exposed, and drivers and cooks were the most exposed. The concentrations are up to 7.5 and 3 times higher than the World Health Organization’s yearly and daily recommended exposure levels, respectively, indicating the need to promptly elaborate and apply effective mitigation strategies to improve air quality and protect public health. This study highlights the importance of indoor air pollution sources related to culture and confirms previous studies on urban outdoor air pollution sources, especially in developing countries. The findings could be applied to cities other than Bamako, as similar practices and lifestyles are common in different cultures.

Keywords: Bamako; air pollution; PM 2.5; daily activities; health; mitigation strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/1/611/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/1/611/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:1:p:611-:d:718489

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().