Tackling indoor air pollution

Indoor pollution is the release of contaminated substances into the atmosphere by man and his resources. These releases of harmful substances into the environment can be harmful to the environment and man.The introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates, or biological materials (indoor pollution) can cause discomfort, disease, or death to humans. It can also […]

Indoor pollution is the release of contaminated substances into the atmosphere by man and his resources. These releases of harmful substances into the environment can be harmful to the environment and man.
The introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates, or biological materials (indoor pollution) can cause discomfort, disease, or death to humans. It can also damage other living organisms, food crops, or the natural environment.
The substances that are released in the air known as air pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. In addition, they are man-made.

Residents’ knowledge of indoor air pollution
Little do some residents know that their actions could affect the quality of air that they breath. Many human activities at home and the use of some domestic devices create air pollution and people don’t know that the air might be contaminated.
The Director, Environmental Quality Control of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Maiwada Umar, said people have not been taking the issue of pollution seriously and they failed to understand that they contribute in polluting the air through some of their activities at home.
Umar who said this in an overview on Air Quality Control regulation at the agency’s fourth annual regulatory dialogue held in Abuja, recently, underscored the importance of awareness of the contribution of human activities to air pollution.
Unknown to many, the air is increasingly being polluted and degraded by human activities while they always point at big factories and other natural factors to be responsible for the pollution and depletion of the earth.
A housewife resident in Abuja, Adeola Gbenga, who spoke to Daily Trust said she had no idea of how her activities could pollute the air. She said, “I do not use firewood in my house nor charcoal. So, I do not see how I contribute in polluting the air.”
Also John Ibekwe, another respondent, said he does not use firewood in his home. He also said he does not see how using pesticide, sweeping or using paints can pollute the air.
For Mercy Ojo, a civil servant, her knowledge of air pollution is limited to fumes from car or factories and burning of things and smokes from firewood. “I am not aware that using some appliances, pesticides or sweeping can contaminate the air around me,” she added.
Air pollution is usually attributed to outdoor activities such as burning of fuels, fumes from cars, exhaust from factories as well as open waste burning with no regard to individual contribution from homes.

High number of death rate resulting from indoor air pollution
According to reports from international organizations, indoor air pollution and urban air quality are two of the world’s worst pollution problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that 2.4 million people die, each year, from causes directly attributable to air pollution, with 1.5 million of these deaths attributable to indoor air pollution. Both indoor and outdoor air pollution have caused approximately 3.3 million deaths worldwide. Children aged less than five years that live in developing countries are the most vulnerable population in terms of total deaths attributable to indoor and outdoor air pollution.
According to Global Health Risks, mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks, indoor air pollution is responsible for 2.7% of the global burden of disease. Nearly 2 million people die yearly, prematurely, from illness attributable to indoor air pollution due to solid fuel use. Among these deaths, 44% are due to pneumonia, 54% from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and 2% from lung cancer while Nigeria is one of the 10 countries that have an annual death rate of 1.5million from indoor air pollution.

Environmental body to regulate air quality control
For authorities in Nigeria, the fight for sustainable environment and the need to protect and preserve the environment becomes a thing of greater concern. Environmental right bodies are also taking stocks of effects of indoor activities on people and the environment while proffering solutions to reduce it by sensitizing residents on the need for a sustainable environment.
The Supervising Minister of Environment, Arc. Darius Ishaku, while delivering keynote address at an event organized for sustainability of the environment, said the care for the environment is a moral obligation, an ethical belief that we should protect those things that we all share, the air, water and the land.
It is the desire to achieve a sustainable environment, as advocated by Ishaku, that led the National Environmental Standards Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to recently unveil some sets of regulations aimed at protecting the environment and enhancing the standard of living of Nigerians.
Among the regulations was the Air Quality Control Act, the National Environmental Control on Air Quality, which, among other things, seeks to protect and improve the quality of the country’s air and reduces Ozone depletion substances in the country.
The regulation, though undergoing experts review, will help in the fight for a cleaner air in the country. The Director General of NESREA, Dr Benebo Ngeri, said the regulation that controls air pollution is the agency’s means of making sure that Nigeria’s air is clean.
However, an understanding of the sources of air pollution and the activities and appliances used at home that pollute the air we breathe and degrade the environment and health is important in the quest of the various agencies for a cleaner air.

Sources of indoor air pollution
There are many sources of indoor air pollution in various homes in the country. These include burning sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products. Some sources, such as building materials, furnishings, and household products, like air fresheners, solvents in cleaning, pesticides in housekeeping, release pollutants more or less continuously.
The direct use of electricity and fuels, smoking, the use of unvented or malfunctioning stoves, furnaces, or space heaters has high pollutant concentrations, which can remain in the air for long periods after some of these activities.
 
Implications  
According to experts’ reports, cooking and heating produces high levels of indoor air pollution with a range of health damaging pollutants, including small soot particles that penetrate deep into the human lungs. In poorly ventilated dwellings, indoor smoke can be 100 times higher than acceptable levels for small particles.
Cooking and heating with solid fuels on open fires or traditional stoves results in high levels of indoor air pollution. Indoor smoke contains a range of health damaging pollutants, such as small particles and carbon monoxide.
Indoor pollution fatalities may be caused by using pesticides and other chemical sprays indoors without proper ventilation. Lack of ventilation in homes can concentrate air pollution and the exposure is usually high on people who stay mostly at home, such as women and children.
Though the relative importance of any single source depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions are.
Radon (Rn) gas, a carcinogen, is exuded from the earth in certain locations and trapped inside houses. Building materials including carpeting and plywood emit formaldehyde (H2CO) gas. Paint and solvents give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as they dry. Lead paint can degenerate into dust and be inhaled.
In some cases, factors such as how old the source is and whether it is properly maintained are significant. For example, an improperly adjusted gas stove can emit significantly more carbon monoxide than one that is properly adjusted.
Human exposure to air pollutants may result in a variety of health effects, depending on the type of pollutant; the magnitude, duration and frequency of exposure; and the associated harmfulness of the specific pollutant.

Necessary preventive measures
As stated by Fatima Raji in ‘AEPB Digest’, a publication by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, indoor pollution can be prevented by placing ban on smoking, preventing the use of unvented gas or kerosene space heaters. Other measure include  keeping appliances and furnaces properly adjusted, installing exhaust fans, changing  filters on heating/cooling systems and air cleaners and ensuring adequate ventilation. Raji also added that proper location of air intakes to avoid exhaust from vehicles becomes necessary. WHO particularly emphasizes the importance of research and planned intervention projects but also encourages phasing out leaded petrol.