Chemical composition and sources of particle pollution in affluent and poor neighborhoods of Accra, Ghana

• Published in: Environmental research letters 2013-12, Vol.8 (4), p.1-9
• Main Authors: Zhou, Zheng, Dionisio, Kathie L, Verissimo, Thiago G, Kerr, Americo S, Coull, Brent, Arku, Raphael E, Koutrakis, Petros, Spengler, John D, Hughes, Allison F, Vallarino, Jose, Agyei-Mensah, Samuel, Ezzati, Majid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Africa; Air pollution; Air pollution control; Biomass burning; Black carbon; Burning; Carbon; Chemical composition; Combustion; Developing countries; Dust; Earth crust; Forestry; LDCs; Low income areas; Neighborhoods; Outdoor air quality; Particle mass; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Pollution abatement; Pollution levels; Pollution sources; Potassium; Poverty; Solid wastes; source apportionment; Sulfur; sustainable development; Urban environments; Urban planning; Urban poverty; urbanization; Vehicle emissions
• ISSN: 1748-9326; 1748-9326
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/044025

The highest levels of air pollution in the world now occur in developing country cities, where air pollution sources differ from high-income countries. We analyzed particulate matter (PM) chemical composition and estimated the contributions of various sources to particle pollution in poor and affluent neighborhoods of Accra, Ghana. Elements from earth's crust were most abundant during the seasonal Harmattan period between late December and late January when Saharan dust is carried to coastal West Africa. During Harmattan, crustal particles accounted for 55 μg m−3 (37%) of fine particle (PM2.5) mass and 128 μg m−3 (42%) of PM10 mass. Outside Harmattan, biomass combustion, which was associated with higher black carbon, potassium, and sulfur, accounted for between 10.6 and 21.3 μg m−3 of fine particle mass in different neighborhoods, with its contribution largest in the poorest neighborhood. Other sources were sea salt, vehicle emissions, tire and brake wear, road dust, and solid waste burning. Reducing air pollution in African cities requires policies related to energy, transportation and urban planning, and forestry and agriculture, with explicit attention to impacts of each strategy in poor communities. Such cross-sectoral integration requires emphasis on urban environment and urban poverty in the post-2015 Development Agenda.