Spectroscopic Analysis of Some Air Pollutants in Yola North LGA, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract: Air pollution is a significant environmental and public health concern, particularly in urban areas with high vehicular and industrial activity. This study assessed the Concentration levels of Air pollutants using ALTAIR 5X Multigas Detector in Yola Metropolis and evaluated their associated health risks during the rainy season. The pollutants include CO, H₂S and SO₂ at five (5) locations. The locations have the highest concentration of CO as 96.54mg/m³ at Jimeta Ultra-Modern Market; SO₂ as 83.87ug/m³ at Jambutu Bye-Pass; H₂S as 0.039ppm at Jambutu Bye-Pass. Results indicated CO concentrations were alarmingly high across all sites, far surpassing safe limits, while SO₂ and H₂S levels also exceeded recommended thresholds, indicating potential respiratory and neurological health impacts. The study highlights the urgent need for regulatory measures, public awareness campaigns, and cleaner energy adoption to mitigate air pollution and safeguard public health. It also showed that dwellers at Jambutu Bye-Pass are high potential health risk, considering the level of pollutants inhaled daily. Anthropogenic activities were discovered to be the major contributor to the level of concentration of the air pollutants.