Funding: SIDA (Swedish International Development cooperation Agency)

Objectives: Currently this research is focused on Kenya. Much work has been done in Vietnam. There the main objective was to determine the level of trace element pollution in northern Vietnam and its impact on the environment. The trace element concentrations were determined both in aerosol particles and in aquatic biota. The objective of the current project in Kenya is to establish and use a well equipped measurement site for air quality studies in Nairobi to gain a better insight into the air pollution situation in a rapidly growing urban area in Africa south of Sahara. Using the data from the measurements investigations of the chemical and physical processes of the pollutants involved will be done and the impact on the health of the inhabi­tants will be assessed

Description: By continuously measuring air pollutants (SO2, NOX, CO, O3 and particles) in Nairobi the project will give a better insight into the air pollution situation in a rapidly growing urban area in Africa south of Sahara. The continuous measurements are complemented with two short measurement periods including organic compounds and extended particle analysis. Personal particle samplers will be used for further human health risk assessment. We expect the result to show high concentrations of most pollutants, compared to developed countries, with variations in time making source apportionment and air pollution dynamic studies possible. The air pollution data will not only be used for evaluation of the air quality in Nairobi, but also for comparison to other urban areas in sub-Saharan countries. The personal samplers will make health risk assessment possible.

Staff working within this project

Jan Pettersson,
Professor

Johan Boman, Associate professor

Torbjörn Gustafsson,
Ph.D. Student

Collaborators

Occupational and environmental medicine, University of Göteborg

Urban climate group, Earth science centre, University of Gothenburg

Michael Gatari,
University of Nairobi

Annemarie Wagner,
Chalmers university of technology