[en] Despite the proximity of the Sahara, very few studies about dust impact on air quality and human health have been conducted in West Africa. The lack of data is a major constraint on our understanding of the impacts on human health in this area. We analyzed PM10 concentrations and horizontal visibility recorded in four West African stations. The pollution levels often exceed the standards defined by many countries/regulatory authorities and have been associated with serious health risks outside Africa. Over the Sahelian stations, 45.6% of the days between November 2006 and March 2007 were likely to impact human health and the studied Sudanian population was exposed to potential health effects every 5 days.
Disciplines :
Physical, chemical, mathematical & earth Sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others Human health sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
De Longueville, Florence ; Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix - Namur - FUNDP > Département de géographie
Ozer, Pierre ; Université de Liège - ULiège > DER Sc. et gest. de l'environnement (Arlon Campus Environ.) > DER Sc. et gest. de l'environnement (Arlon Campus Environ.)
Marticorena, Béatrice
Chatenent, Bernadette
Henry, Sabine
Language :
English
Title :
Saharan dust impacts on air quality: What are the potential health risks in West Africa?
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