- WHO says that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can penetrate through the lungs and enter the body through the blood stream, affecting all major organs.
- Exposure to PM2.5 can cause diseases, both to our cardiovascular and respiratory system.
Image: COURTESY
Air quality within Nairobi city is considerably improving, the National Environment Management Authority has said.
Nema boss Mamo Mamo on Sunday said the authority did an air quality assessment before the marathon and found out that “it was the best.”
“The assessment was at 4.7, meaning it was the best because anything below 15 is good,” Mamo said.
The World Health Organisation says that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can penetrate through the lungs and further enter the body through the blood stream, affecting all major organs.
PM2.5 is a microscopic particle, 2.5 microns in width, and almost 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
When levels are high, PM2.5 particles form a haze in the sky, making their way into people’s respiratory tracts and reaching the lungs.
Exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution was estimated by the WHO to cause about 7 million deaths in 2012, raising awareness of the scourge of pollution on a global scale.
It can also cause diseases, both to our cardiovascular and respiratory system, provoking, for example, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Research has also shown an association between prenatal exposure to high levels of air pollution and developmental delay at age three.
There is also psychological and behavioural problems later on, including symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.
Mamo said the authority had eight monitors along the road during the marathon.
New evidence is also emerging on pollution’s debilitating impact on economies.
Mamo said measuring the concentration of PM2.5 and understanding its sources is key to designing policies to control its presence in the air we breathe.
The ongoing sprucing up of green spaces in the city are some of the interventions attributed to the improved air quality.
The Michuki Park, Nairobi Arboretum and City Park are some of the green spaces rehabilitated so far.
On-ground monitoring of PM2.5 requires sophisticated equipment, sustained funding, technical know-how and regulatory support that are still absent in many countries.
In this context, satellite-driven technologies are a powerful, supplementary tool for measuring large-scale exposure to air pollutants.
Mamo also said plans are at an advanced stage to have awareness about air pollution raised.
He said the authority will in partner with the National Transport and Safety Authority to carry out emission testing on motor vehicles.
Mamo said most vehicles were not being serviced regularly as required, a move that has seen emissions skyrocket.
Unep report of October 2020 showed that used vehicles being shipped from overseas were of poor quality, contributing significantly to air pollution and hindering efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
'Used Vehicles and the Environment - A Global Overview of Used Light-Duty Vehicles: Flow, Scale and Regulation' called for action to fill the current policy vacuum with the adoption of harmonised minimum quality standards that will ensure cleaner and safer fleets in importing countries.
The report warned that the fast-growing global vehicle fleet is a major contributor to air pollution and climate change. The transport sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions.
Specifically, vehicle emission is a significant source of fine particulate PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides that are major causes of urban air pollution.
The report shows that between 2015 and 2018, 14 million used light-duty vehicles were exported worldwide.
Some 80 per cent went to low and middle-income countries, with more than half going to Africa.
Mamo said the emission testing will be rolled out in the next one month in line with air quality regulations 2014.
The director general said Unep and other partners have been supporting the government by erecting effective air quality monitors.
Mamo further said the air quality is very close to the recommendations of WHO standards.
However, emissions from the transport sector must be addressed.
“We need to put measures in place because we are likely to have poor ambient air quality, especially in terms of particulate matter 10 and particulate matter 2.5, which are heavy pollutants in our CBD,” Mamo said.
WHO says ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the most common causes of premature death attributable to outdoor air pollution, and evidence is also emerging of other effects such as diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions in adults.
This puts the burden of disease linked to air pollution at par with other major global health risks such as unhealthy diet and tobacco smoking.
The global health body says air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, alongside climate change.
The Environmental Management and Coordination (Air Quality) Regulations, 2014, says Nema will ensure that emissions from all internal combustion engines are monitored.
“No person shall cause or allow the emission of visible air pollutants from a stationary or mobile vehicle in excess of the limits set out under the prescribed standard,” part of the regulations says.
The regulations also says that any person who contravenes the provisions commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of Sh 500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.
Where there is evidence that a person is not complying with any of the standards set out in the regulations, Nema may charge such person a penalty of Sh 10,000.
Mobile Source Pollutants include hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates and carbon monoxide.
According to the regulations, every operator or owner of a mobile emission source, including road, rail, air, marine and inland water transport and conveyance equipment, must control the emission of priority air pollutants.
Nema said vehicular emissions will be tested in accordance with the prescribed standard or any other method approved with its authority in consultation with the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
The emission standards for mobile sources are stipulated under KS 1515.
The regulations warn that anyone who causes emissions from a mobile source in excess of the prescribed standards commits an offence.
(edited by Amol Awuor)