title: Ambient air pollution near petrochemical industries and chronic kidney disease risk: Integrating citizen science within an exploratory mixed methods study
Creators: name: Okoye, Ogochukwu Chinedum Alice
Publisher: name: Edinburgh Napier University
Year: 2024

description: INTRODUCTION: The disproportionately high prevalence and severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the young population of low- or middle-income countries despite preventive interventions, is a matter of global concern. Air pollution is the leading environmental risk factor for non-communicable diseases and an emerging risk factor for CKD that is often ignored in preventive interventions.
AIM: To comprehensively investigate long-term exposure to ambient air pollution (AAP) in communities near petrochemical industries in the Niger Delta; to compare perceived and actual air pollution health risk and to determine whether long-term exposure to AAP increases CKD risk.
METHODS: An exploratory mixed methods study was first used to qualitatively explore the public’s perception of air pollution health risks and the findings used to modify an existing health survey questionnaire. A citizen science inquiry was introduced within the quantitative study to involve eight community volunteers in monitoring ambient air pollutant levels in their communities. Twenty-four participants selected purposively participated in three focus groups and one individual interview while 1460 participants from four communities were involved in the health survey. Data was integrated using a display table.
RESULTS: Six themes were inductively generated - ‘Our environment is not good; the refinery is to blame; Air pollution is seen or smelt; Air pollution is associated with health and non-health risks; Poor response to air pollution: everyone is to blame; and Government is primarily responsible for healthy air quality’. There was a poor knowledge and concern about air pollution associated health risks.
The mean concentration of PM2.5, PM10, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) monitored by citizen scientists exceeded the World Health Organisation’s recommended acceptable limits in all four communities; CO2 was acceptable only in the farthest community from the refinery, while O3 was within acceptable limits in all communities. The overall prevalence of CKD was 12.3%; it was 17.3% in the community closest to the refinery and 8.0% in the farthest community. The independent risk factors of CKD were increasing age, lower level of education, proximity to the refinery and hypertension.
Findings from the focus group were largely consistent and transferable to the larger survey population and both study arms were complementary. Perceived air pollution correlated with actual air pollution in communities near the refinery than those farther away.
CONCLUSION: Communities near petrochemical industries are exposed to unacceptable air pollutant levels associated with increased CKD risk. Environmental health literacy which entails awareness, scientific and environmental knowledge of health risks associated with specific exposures, is low in the communities. More collaborative epidemiological studies; public and professional environmental health education are needed to improve environmental health literacy and foster positive behavioural practice and policy changes towards air pollution mitigation and its associated health risks.