Suchergebnisse

Information on landfill-emitted pollutants in Nigeria cities has consequently become a priority. This study was designed to assess the air quality of landfill sites and the nearby communities in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos state, Nigeria. Five public landfills in use since about thirty years ago were chosen for this study. A lightly populated area, free from other sources of air pollution served as control. Target points for the study were the centre of landfill (CLF), 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF, and a radius of 100M away from landfill. Levels of selected gaseous pollutants (NO2, O3, H2S and CO) and particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10) were determined in the landfill environments and control (unpolluted area), using Aeroqual Series 500 with sensors for NO2, O3, H2S, CO, PM2.5 and PM10. The result showed that levels of H2S were significantly (p0.05) difference when the level of H2S in 100M radius was compared with the unpolluted area. Levels of CO were significantly (p<0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with unpolluted area. The levels of O3 were significantly (p<0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with unpolluted area. Levels of VOC were significantly (p<0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with unpolluted area. The levels of NO2 were significantly (p<0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with the unpolluted area. The levels of PM2.5 increased significantly (p<0.001) at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with the unpolluted area. The levels of PM10 were also significantly (p< 0.001) higher at the CLF, 50M from CLF, 100M from CLF and 100M radius compared with the unpolluted area. In conclusion, communities close to landfills may be polluted with toxic gases and particulate matters. Further investigation is needed to validate the safe distance of residential areas from landfills to avert the risks of toxicity associated with gaseous pollutants.

We investigate the possibility of improving access to interventions among mothers screened positive for post-partum depression (PPD) at National Programme on Immunization (NPI) clinics randomly selected from Lagos and Enugu States in south-western and south-eastern Nigeria respectively. The principle of human centred design was employed by engaging the mothers screened positive for PPD to be part of the decision making regarding their further assessment and intervention services. The study brought intervention services to primary healthcare centre at the NPI clinics. Improvement in willingness to seek interventions was observed among the mothers screened positive for PPD in this study when compared to our observation in a previous report, where mothers diagnosed with PPD were referred and requested to visit a mental health facility closer to their NPI clinics for further assessment and interventions (95.2% versus 33.7%). Interventional services for the mothers diagnosed with PPD also impact positively on the growth parameters of their infants on follow-up. Principle of human centred design improved access to intervention services among the mothers and infants studied. NPI clinics at primary healthcare level would provide appropriate forum for early screening of mothers for PPD and interventions in low-resource setting like Nigeria. There would be improvement in maternal and child health coverage if the Nigerian Government can adapt human centred design principles employed in this study nationwide.