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Impact of cement factory emission on air quality and human health around Mugher and the surrounding villages, Central Ethiopia

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Abstract

Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and trace gas (CO2, NO2, and SO2) emissions were measured at different units of the Mugher cement factory and nearby residential areas. The prevalence of respiratory system diseases of the community proximate and distant from the factory was also analyzed using clinical records. The emission dispersion pathways were also investigated using a web-based online READY HYSPLIT Dispersion Model and wind rose diagram. Results show the mean ambient air quality for particulate matter PM2.5 (120–973 µg/m3) and PM10 (140–998 µg/m3) at the Mugher cement plant and PM2.5 (106–198 µg/m3) and PM10 (101–303 µg/m3) at a nearby village. The emissions of particulate matter at the factory and nearby village were above the limited value of 150 µg/m3 prescribed by Ethiopian ambient air quality guidelines. Acute bronchitis (37.4%), chronic bronchitis (20%), and skin infection (15%) were the dominant diseases observed. Based on age, the highest impact (50.8%) was observed in ages ranging from 0 to 14 whereas that of the age group 15 to 60 was 47%. Restriction of cement particulate emission and demarking a buffer zone between the cement factory and settlements complemented with continued monitoring, and regulatory enforcement should be a top priority to the local authority.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Kassahun Ture, upon reasonable request.

Notes

  1. Woreda is the local name of the administrative unit equivalent to a district.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Addis Ababa University for the financial support from a thematic research fund (grant numbers VPRTT/PY-043/2018) and the Environmental, Forest and Climate Change Commission of Ethiopia for the provision of particulate matter and gaseous pollutant–measuring instruments. The cooperation of the Mugher cement factory management and Mugher and Inchini health centers for permission to provide the required information from clinical records deserves our acknowledgement. The authors gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for the provision of the HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model and/or READY website (https://www.ready.noaa.gov) used in this publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Environmental Science, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Kassahun Ture Beketie & Abezash Terefe Angessa

  2. Institute of Geophysics Space Science and Astronomy, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Tadesse Terefe Zeleke

  3. Center for Food Security, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Desalegn Yayeh Ayal

Authors
  1. Kassahun Ture Beketie
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  2. Abezash Terefe Angessa
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  3. Tadesse Terefe Zeleke
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  4. Desalegn Yayeh Ayal
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Contributions

Kassahun Ture provided the initial idea and input for the paper, drafted the paper, and coordinated the research team. Abezash Terefe collected and analyzed the emission and clinical data. Tadesse Terefe produced the figures and contributed in the methodology section of the paper. Desalegn Yayeh contributed to the proofreading and editing of the paper.

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Correspondence to Kassahun Ture Beketie.

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Beketie, K., Angessa, A., Zeleke, T. et al. Impact of cement factory emission on air quality and human health around Mugher and the surrounding villages, Central Ethiopia. Air Qual Atmos Health 15, 347–361 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-021-01109-4

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