Air quality in Lagos

What is the air quality index of Lagos?

Lagos is thought of as the capital of Nigeria. However, things are complicated as in 1976 the capital city was moved to Ikeja and the federal capital moved to Abuja in 1991. The estimated population of the metropolitan area was 21 million people in 2018.

At the beginning of 2021, Lagos was experiencing some rather poor quality air with a US AQI figure of 160 which classified it as “Unhealthy” according to recommended figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The concentration of the PM2.5 pollutant was 73.2 µg/m³. With a level such as this, it is recommended that a good quality mask is worn when going outside. Doors and windows should be kept closed so as to prevent the ingress of polluted air in the home. All types of outdoor exercise should be abandoned until air quality improves.

What is the main source of air pollution in Lagos?

The major source of air pollution comes from vehicle emissions, closely followed by industry and domestic energy use. Every day, 227 vehicles clog each kilometre of road. Most of these vehicles are over 15 years old and are not equipped with the latest emission technologies. The fuel they use has a very high sulphur content which is 200 times higher than U.S. standards for diesel.

Industrial emissions are the second source of air pollution. Industrial and commercial zones like Apapa, Idumota, Ikeja and Odogunyan, where cement, chemicals, furniture, oil refineries, steel processing industries are concentrated, have high levels of pollution. In Odogunyan, a PM2.5 concentration of 1,770 µg/m³ was recorded in a period of 24 hours.

Generators supply half of Lagos’ total energy needs and are yet another source of air pollution. The poor combustion of the gasoline and oil used to power the generators pollutes the air and could cause huge health damage.

The use of energy such as charcoal, wood and kerosene in cooking, makes the problem difficult in rural areas due to limited infrastructure and access to clean energy.

What is the pollution level in Lagos?

According to a report, Nigeria is the 10^th most polluted country in Africa, with an air pollution rate of 44.8 per cent, followed by Uganda and Ethiopia.

In 2018, as a result of an intense study, it was estimated that over 11,200 premature deaths are the direct result of poor air quality. It was also discovered that 60 per cent of that figure was for children under the age of 5 years. Any type of air pollution is detrimental to health, but the worst type of pollutant is the microscopic PM2.5 particles which can easily penetrate the lungs, due to their small size. This study found the levels in Lagos were over 7 times the target figure suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Is air pollution in Lagos getting better or worse?

More people die from air pollution than unsanitary hygiene practices and malnutrition. Casualties as a result of the air pollution crisis in Nigeria has increased by nearly 40 per cent over the last few decades. Nigeria has some of the highest levels of unhealthy air quality across the African continent. Overall, Nigerian cities contain the most unhealthy air quality with 10 urban areas being classified on a list of 30 cities in Africa with the most unhealthy air quality.

While developed countries have effective solutions with which to handle air pollution, underdeveloped countries struggle to handle this environmental issue. Some countries have started to take appropriate measures to handle it, though. As a result, the number of people exposed to air pollution has decreased from 3.5 billion in 1990 to 2.4 billion in 2016.

What can be done to improve the air quality in Lagos?

In order to handle the air pollution crisis in Nigeria effectively, it is important to provide regular inspections of automobiles to ensure that older cars are not releasing harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. It is also important that Nigeria removes cars from the road that are toxic to the environment.

The introduction of efficient electric energy will decrease the need for generators, which produce unhealthy air in households and work environments. Nigeria has access to sustainable energy resources that are capable of providing power to its citizens. These methods are safer for the environment and the usage of them decreases the use of gasoline-powered generators, thus decreasing pollution.

In rural areas, Nigerians can reduce air pollution in the household by substituting fuelwood, coal and charcoal for biogas, which is a form of biofuel that is made from the decay of natural waste. Biogas will provide sustainable options for preparing food and heating the household at the same time eliminating air pollution both inside the household and the outside environment.

Lagos is making some progress in introducing laws but they still need to be executed. In 2017, standards for sulphur content in fuel were lowered to reduce emissions: from 3,000 parts per million (ppm) to 50 ppm for diesel; and from 1,000 ppm to 150 ppm for gasoline.

Emissions from industries could be lowered with the use of newer, better technologies such as solar power. The garbage situation needs to be addressed due to the huge amount of rubbish that is buried, burned or just dumped. Teams need to monitor this situation and act accordingly when the perpetrators are caught. Much of the plastic could be recycled instead of being burnt as it is now. Furthermore, daily waste removal from households would also help to properly dispose of garbage, which reduces the fragmentation of waste and prevents odours forming that contribute to air pollution.

What are the effects of breathing Lagos' poor quality air?

Ambient air pollution is caused by pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NO_x), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃) and fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres or PM2.5. These are dangerous because they can easily bypass the body’s natural defence system and enter the bloodstream, contributing to mortality and morbidity. While the WHO guideline for the annual mean PM 2.5 concentration level is 10 µg/m³. Lagos has recorded levels of 68 µg/m³. in the same range as other polluted megacities such as Beijing, Cairo and Mumbai.