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Urban air pollution from the open burning of municipal solid waste
Author(s) -
Okedere O. B.,
Olalekan A. P.,
Fakinle B. S.,
Elehinafe F. B.,
Odunlami O. A.,
Sonibare J. A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
environmental quality management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.249
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6483
pISSN - 1088-1913
DOI - 10.1002/tqem.21633
Subject(s) - municipal solid waste , pollutant , particulates , environmental science , air pollution , pollution , per capita , environmental chemistry , waste management , air pollutants , sulfur dioxide , emission inventory , environmental engineering , environmental protection , chemistry , population , engineering , environmental health , medicine , inorganic chemistry , ecology , organic chemistry , biology
Abstract This study estimates the contribution from the open burning of municipal wastes in some of Nigeria's major cities to atmospheric levels of air pollutants. Information obtained on open burning emission factors and municipal solid waste (MSW) generation estimates was combined to estimate annual levels of the pollutants from the open burning of MSW. Per capita distributions of pollutants were calculated on the basis of cities’ populations. The estimates of inorganic emissions across the cities studied were from 913.73 to 81,600 tons per year (TPY) of particulate matter; 4,797 to 428,400 TPY of oxides of nitrogen; 342.65 to 30,600; and 57 to 5,100 TPY of sulfur dioxide, while the estimates for methane ranged from 742 to 66,300 TPY and for other nonmethane organic compounds ranged from 1,713 to 153,000 TPY. Given the composition of MSW in these cities, the nonmethane organic compounds are likely to be composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds. Given the wide varieties of both inorganic and organic air pollutants released during the open burning of MSW and the associated human health and environmental impacts, it is high time that stakeholders at all levels of government came up with policies and regulatory measures for the management of MSW in the country.