Vehicular Volume and Concentration of Gaseous Atmospheric Pollutants and Particulate Matter at Selected Road Junctions in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

The increase in industrial and vehicular activities has led to the proliferation of atmospheric pollutants in cities globally. The Niger Delta region is an industrial hub and serves as the nation's resource base by exploring crude oil. This work postulated that there would be high pollutants and particulate matter at road junctions due to the multiplicity of several vehicles owned by the surging human population. The number of vehicles at each junction were counted. A multi-parameter gas monitor (A multi–RAE PLUS (PGM-50) was used to collect air samples at different junctions (n = 5). The concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), temperature, relative humidity, and wind were analyzed. The result revealed that the volume of the vehicles at road traffic junctions follows the order Rumuola>Mile 3/UST Roundabout>Choba Junction>Garrison>Lagos Bus Stop. Choba Junction had the highest concentration of pollutants. The highest concentration of vehicular pollutants was observed in the morning. Carbon monoxide (CO) had the highest concentration, followed by SO2 and NO2. While for particulate matter, PM2.5 had a higher concentration than PM10. The result implies that the number of vehicular traffic does not necessarily determine the concentration of pollutants because other anthropogenic activities are causing a spike in atmospheric pollutants within the city.