The Ghana Report is reliably informed that people living in Accra are at risk of air-borne infections as the city records the highest air pollution worldwide.
Ghana’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has shot up as high as 401 and is rated “hazardous” by IQAir, a Swiss air quality centre that collates weather reports from various stations.
As of Sunday, February 19, 2023, data obtained suggests that Accra may be leading all cities in the world with an AQI of 339, surpassing Delhi, Mumbai, Lahore, Dhaka, and Wuhan.
Accra residents may have noticed a hazy smog hanging over the city from Wednesday, February 15, with many concluding that “harmattan is back”.
However, experts have told The Ghana Report that what is being experienced is a high concentration of microscopic Particulate Matter (PM) of 2.5 which is currently 58 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.
Several places within Accra, such as Kwashieman, exceeds the capital city index, with an AQI of 426.
At the same time, the US Embassy area in Cantonment has an AQI of 339, and the Accra Technical University enclave has recorded an AQI of 294.
“Accra is a city that has some fairly bad pollution issues, with several months on record in years past that would put many members of its population in danger due to the highly damaging effects that pollution exposure can bring, particularly to vulnerable members of the society.
“Such vulnerable groups present in Accra would be ones such as young children and the elderly, along with pregnant women, those with a heightened sensitivity towards pollution, as well as those with pre-existing illnesses or compromised immune systems,” IQAir explained, in additional notes to the report.
The main pollutants discovered were black carbon, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PM10, PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3).
Examples of PM 10 are dust from construction sites, landfills and agriculture, wildfires and waste burning, industrial sources, wind-blown dust from open lands, pollen and fragments of bacteria.
Examples of PM 2.5 are tobacco smoke, cooking (e.g., frying, sautéing, and broiling), burning candles or oil lamps, and operating fireplaces and fuel-burning space heaters (e.g., kerosene heaters).
How do you protect yourself from air pollution in Accra?
- It is advised to close windows and doors at all times to prevent dirty outdoor air and do with indoor ventilation.
- Outdoor activities, including physical exercise, are not recommended.
- The public is also advised to wear pollution masks and use air purifiers if possible.
According to the WHO, almost every organ in the body can be impacted by air pollution.
Due to their small size, some air pollutants can penetrate the bloodstream via the lungs and circulate throughout the body, leading to systemic inflammation and carcinogenicity.
Air pollution is a risk for all-cause mortality as well as specific diseases.
The specific disease outcomes most strongly linked with exposure to air pollution include stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, pneumonia, and cataract (household air pollution only).
There is suggestive evidence also linking air pollution exposure with increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes (i.e. low-birth weight, small for gestational age), other cancers, diabetes, cognitive impairment and neurological diseases.
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