Abstract

The study was done to assess the air quality of abattoir in Obinze and its environs by measuring some air quality parameters in the month of January, 2022 for five consecutive days. Measurements were taken with Aeroqual series 500 air monitors at various radial coordinates from three sampling stations and standard methods adopted for their sampling and analysis. Results showed that the mean concentrations of the gases SO₂ (0.761 ppm), NO₂ (0.207ppm), CO₂ (1313.6ppm), P.M _2.5 (139.2ug/m3) and P.M ₁₀ (153.8ug/m3) were higher than the permissible limits set by National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) except CO (0.132ppm). This is an indication of contamination of the air quality as these parameters were contributing to pollution load of the environment. It is therefore recommended that the activities at the abattoir should be constantly monitored. Furthermore, relocation of abattoir to an area far from residence, inspection of abattoir process by professionals in related fields, proper waste management systems should be made.

1. Introduction

Air is said to be polluted when it is contaminated as a result of alteration of its natural composition either by natural occurrence or anthropogenic activities ¹. The contaminants such as dust, fumes gas, mist, odors, smoke or vapor could be present in the polluted atmosphere in such quantities, and for such period of time that make them injurious to human, plant or animal life or to property. Various unfriendly abattoir operations such as indifferent dumping and unhygienic discharge of abattoir waste effluent have been reported to be one of the factors responsible for the alteration of air quality of abattoir environment ². This pollution results in the unpleasant odor and consequentially, has unfavorable health implications on the residents especially on individuals with existing medical challenge. ³, equally revealed that gaseous pollutants around abattoir facility could exceed recommended limit, thereby making the air unhealthy for the people around the abattoir.

Abattoirs are generally known all over the world to pollute the environment either directly or indirectly from their processes, hygiene problems are not limited to slaughtering alone, the air is often polluted with thick smoke during the burning of animal hides/skin ¹. Cows, goats etc are roasted with kerosene and condemned tyres in the course of processing the meat for sales leading to the emission of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. The blood from the slaughtered animals is left flowing on the ground with offensive odor causing pollution of the atmosphere ⁴; thus, becoming a threat to the health of the neighboring residents.

The impact of abattoir activities and management in residential neighbourhoods in Ogbomoso, Osun State, Nigeria ⁵. Based on the analyzed data of the study, it was revealed that abattoir activities and management have direct and indirect effects on the built-up environment and health of people especially residents of the abattoir vicinity. The study also indicated negative impact of abattoir activities on air and water qualities of residents within abattoir vicinity especially abattoir where special or effective waste disposal system is lacking. The health quality of residents living in abattoir vicinity was revealed to be reduced due to effect of pollutants from abattoir activities located in their neighborhood. Environmental sanitation practices in slaughterhouses in Osogbo, Nigeria and the practices of the slaughtering of animals and disposal of waste in the city were without consideration for its polluting effect and concerns for public health ⁶. There are various activities in the abattoir that constitute the emission of SO₂, NO₂, CO, CO₂ and Particulate Matter, they include; Animal Arrival and Lairage, Preslaughter Handling, Stunning and Slaughtering. Worldwide more deaths per year are linked to air pollution than to automobile accidents. Europeans die from air pollution annually, causes of deaths include aggravated asthma, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies which can arise from prolonged intake of these harmful gases through direct or indirect contact ⁷. Thus, this research work hopes to assess the air quality in and around Obinze abattoir and its implication on health to the people and the surrounding environment. This research work will help the readers to understand the level of air pollution caused by the abattoir.

The study recommended, among others, that abattoir should be excluded from facilities to be located within residential neighborhood, rather it should be located and treated among industrial land use or agricultural land use; and for abattoir planning and construction, regulations controlling the movement and slaughter of live stocks, the availability of service and staff in abattoirs should be made. The study recommended efficient and effective enforcement of environmental sanitation laws on slaughterhouses operations and environmental education for the slaughterhouse operators and residents.

2. Materials and Methods

Obinze is a community in southeastern Nigeria, located near the city of Owerri, Imo State. It lies at 5.4117° North and 6.9585° to the East.

According to sources, the Abattoir has been in existence since 2001 and has served great purpose to both the locals and people from other regions. The Abattoir is a trademark for meat commercialization and consumption hence; it provides job opportunities and most importantly, food to the people.

Sampling and Field Studies

An experiment was carried out with air apparatus to identify the ambient concentrations of particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Sulphur dioxide (SO₂) using the Aeroqual Series 500 air quality sensor which enables accurate real-time surveying of common outdoor air pollutants, all in an ultra-portable handheld monitor. An aeroqual cartridge for each gas was attached to the monitor base and used for the detection of their concentrations. Three specific sampling locations were chosen in the abattoir for the purpose of this sampling. These three locations were tagged: Point 1, Point 2 and Point 3.

Point 1- Slaughtering Point 5°22′5″N 6°58′06″E

Point 2- Roasting Point 5°22′ 50″N 6°58′05″E

Point 3- Entrance 5°22′51″N 6°58′05″E

Spatial Variation of Air Data Analysis Against NAAQS Limits

3. Discussion

The study examined the emission rate of some gaseous pollutants resulting from activities in the abattoir, concentrations varied in the study area. From the observation, air quality sampling of carbon monoxide (CO) is lower than the NAAQS limit at the abattoir, but the concentrations of the other gases were higher than the NAAQS standard limit. This is to say that there is a high concentration of particulate matter (PM₁₀ and _2.5), carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and Sulphur dioxide (SO₂) at the abattoir.

The results indicated that the average concentrations of 139.2μg/m³, 0.761ppm, 1313.6 ppm and 0.207ppm for PM_2.5, SO₂, CO₂ and NO₂ respectively, were higher than the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Air Quality Index showed that the ambient air quality in respect to CO was very good, moderate for PM₁₀ and was very high for PM_2.5, CO₂, NO₂ and SO₂. According ³, 0.32% of deaths from lung cancer, and 0.23% from cardiopulmonary could be avoided if PM_2.5 is reduced to 74μg/m3 and while about 0.14% of all-cause mortality could be avoided if PM₁₀ is maintained below 150μg/m3. All the AQI values exceeded the threshold value which was set at unity; this implied that PM_2.5, NO₂, SO₂ and CO₂ are likely to cause adverse health effects in the area.

A Research by ⁸ revealed that the livestock farming and abattoir activities going on in studied locations have some levels of impact on air quality. The impacts include those on human health (caused by ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, other odor-causing compounds, and particulates), and contribution to global warming (due to emission of nitrous oxide from the production process) and other related activities (such as feed production and transport of finished products). Others include the presence of pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria and fungi species) isolated from the study locations. Additionally, volatilized ammonia can be redeposited, which may in turn contribute to environmental issues such as acidification, eutrophication and damage to vegetation and sensitive components of the ecosystem. ⁹ conducted similar research and the mean concentration of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in the report were slightly equivalent to those in this study. These constitute serious risk factors for public health ¹⁰. The potential of particulate matter to cause health problem is a function of its size ¹⁰. The mean concentrations of the pollutants recorded in this study were higher than the result reported by ³ but lower than the documented report of ². Particulate matters whose size is less than 10 μm have been reported to have potential of causing health challenge of great magnitude because particles of this size can easily find their ways not only into the lung, but also into the blood streams which can result into lung and heart problems ². Comparing the mean values of NO₂ from ⁹, also showed that limits were exceeded. This is an indication that at frequent exposure, the general public are at risk. Adverse respiratory symptoms in persons with asthma have been reported to be associated with the short-term exposure to NO₂ ranging from 30minutes to 24h ¹¹. Mean concentration of SO₂ in this study as compared to ⁹, exceeded NAAQS recommended limits of 0.03 ppm. This suggested that a prolonged release of SO₂ within the area is capable of worsening the health situation of people living with existing heart or respiratory issues ². it is therefore recommended the abattoir should always be cleaned as soon as any animal is slaughtered.

References