Environmental impact of road dust on Human Health and Vegetation in Enugu, Nigeria

Background/Question/Methods

The focus of this paper is on the environmental impact of road dust on  human health in Enugu, Nigeria. Questions were posed to EnuguUSA  Medical Mission Team (doctors, nurses and public health specialists) in  2008, 2009 and 2010 about the cause and effect of dust in villages in Enugu, Nigeria. Throughout these missions, people complained about eye irritations,  coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and other kinds of allergies attributed  to dust. There are records of infections, eye irritations, coughs,  sneezing, and allergies in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Unpaved roads are  common in villages of Enugu. Many Nigerians are not fully aware of the  road dust problem that exists throughout the country.  The amount of  dust was not quantified but most road dust particles are in the range  of less than 500 micrometers in size. The dust is produced when the  soil is disrupted and made airborne by wind or a passing vehicle,  pollutants in the air and linger in the atmosphere.  Large plumes of  dust were observed along the EnuguUSA Medical Mission Trail to villages  in Enugu in December 2008, 2009 and 2010. This is a very dry period in  Nigeria when harmattan, hot, dry wind blows across the western sahara  desert and carries large quantities of dust which it transports  hundreds of kilometers. Data on dusty roads and people were noted and  documented. The number of people treated for eye irritations, coughing,  sneezing, watery eyes and other kinds of allergies in dusty villages were documented.

Results/Conclusions

More than twenty percent of two thousand men, women, and children in  the dusty villages were treated for infections, eye irritations,  coughs, sneezing, watery eyes and allergies. These problems are  consistent with the impact of dust on human health. Dust particles  appear to be causing the infections, eye irritations, coughs, sneezing,  watery eyes and allergies according to medical doctors. These  conditions were noted in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Environmental data,  disease data, and number of people who were assessed and treated will  be presented. Road dust can be managed by soil erosion control  measures. Road dust has impacted the quality of life and economic growth in remote villages of Enugu State.