By Mukhtar Yahya Usman

A report by IQ Airvisual, an international organization based in Switzerland has ranked Kano as the most polluted city in Africa, with levels of air pollution reaching up to 54.4 percent.

According to the report, some of the major causes of the high pollution in the city include industrial toxic waste, vehicle exhaust fumes, kerosene and firewood burning.

The study also rated Kampala, the Ugandan capital as the second most polluted city after Kano, followed by Port Harcourt in Rivers state which is third and then Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia as the fourth most polluted African city.

Moreover the report rated Nigeria among the top ten most polluted countries in the world with Nigeria alone accounting for 44.8 percent air pollution, followed by Uganda and Ethiopia.

According to IQ Airvisual, Africa is struggling with lack of effective information gathering mechanism that would help the continent in assessing its level of pollution.

What is air pollution?

Air pollution is a mixture of natural and man-made substances in the air we breathe. It is a major environmental risk to health.

Around 3 billion people still cook and heat their homes using solid fuels in open fires and leaky stoves which are the major sources of air pollution.

Impact on health

At least 3.8 million people die prematurely every year from illness attributable to household air pollution caused by the inefficient use of solid fuels and kerosene for cooking. Among the 3.8 million deaths:

• 27% are due to pneumonia
• 18% from stroke
• 27% from ischaemic heart disease
• 20% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• 8% from lung cancer

Pneumonia

Exposure to household air pollution almost doubles the risk for childhood pneumonia and is responsible for 45% of all pneumonia deaths in children less than 5 years old. Household air pollution also carries high risk for acute lower respiratory infections (pneumonia) in adults, and contributes to 28% of all adult deaths to pneumonia.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

One in four or 25% of premature deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults in low- and middle-income countries are due to exposure to household air pollution. Women exposed to high levels of indoor smoke are more than two times as likely to suffer from COPD than women who use cleaner fuels and technologies. Among men (who already have a heightened risk of COPD due to their higher rates of smoking), exposure to household air pollution nearly doubles that risk.

Stroke

12% of all premature deaths due to stroke can be attributed to the daily exposure to household air pollution arising from cooking with solid fuels and kerosene.

Ischaemic heart disease

Approximately 11% of all deaths due to ischaemic heart disease, accounting for over a million premature deaths annually, can be attributed to exposure to household air pollution.

Lung cancer

Approximately 17% of premature lung cancer deaths in adults are attributable to exposure to carcinogens from household air pollution caused by cooking with kerosene or solid fuels like wood, charcoal or coal. The risk for women is higher, due to their role in food preparation.

Other health impacts and risks

More generally, small particulate matter and other pollutants in indoor smoke inflame the airways and lungs, impairing immune response and reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.