Assessment of Ambient Air Pollutants Concentration Around the Idu Industrial Area of Abuja, Nigeria
By Edem G. A., Agbagwa, I. O., Ogoro, M.
Industrial activities release major pollutants into the environment thereby causing air pollution which could be a threat to human, animal and plant life and it affects the aesthetic quality of the environment. The study assessed the ambient air pollutants concentration around the Idu industrial area of Abuja, Nigeria. The sampling procedure involves measuring the levels of Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen dioxides (NO2), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Ammonia (NH3), and Particulate Matter (PM10) in the air using Aerosol Mass Monitor (831, U.S.A) for PM and Aeroqual series (200, U.S.A) for gaseous pollutants. The samples were collected on Mondays between 12 noon – 3pm for 4 weeks. The mean concentration of NH3 ranged from 0.01 ppm to 0.02 ppm, SO2 ranged from 0.01 ppm to 0.11 ppm, NO2 ranged from 0.01 ppm to 0.11 ppm, CO ranged from 1.58 ppm to 4.48 ppm and PM10 ranged from 3.3 ppm to 4.68 ppm across the locations and weeks. The finding revealed that all pollutants are within the allowable limit of World Health Organization (WHO), United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Federal Ministry of Environment (FME). Therefore, the industrial activities have not negatively impacted the ambient air quality of the environment with all the assessed pollutants; however, there is need for continuous monitoring mechanism, regulations and enforcement measures to ensure the air quality of the environment is constantly unpolluted.