253 posters, 14 videos, 27 audios, 14 topics, 392 authors, 132 institutions

4th Commonwealth Chemistry Posters

October 4 - 5, 2023 | Online, United Kingdom

P111

Air quality of high school kitchens within the Kumasi metropolis: examining indoor particulate and gaseous pollutants

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Poster Presenter

Boansi Adu Ababio

Authors

Boansi Adu Ababio, Marian Asantewah Nkansah, Jonathan Nartey Hogarh, Thomas Peprah Agyekum, Michael Kweku Commeh

Affiliations

Department of Chemistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi-Ghana, Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi-Ghana, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health & Safety, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana, Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana

Part of Topic

Good health and well-being

Air Quality Of High School Kitchens Within The Kumasi Metropolis: Examining Indoor Particulate And Gaseous Pollutants

*BOANSI ADU ABABIO¹ MARIAN ASANTEWAH NKANSAH¹ JONATHAN NARTEY HOGARH² THOMAS PEPRAH AGYEKUM³ MICHAEL KWEKU COMMEH⁴

¹Department of Chemistry ²Department of Environmental Science ³Department of Occupational & Environmental Health & Safety ⁴Technology Consultancy Centre, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GHANA

INTRODUCTION

Combustion of solid fuels for cooking releases various air pollutants indoors. The aim of this work was to evaluate the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of the kitchens of 14 Senior High Schools (S.H.S.) in the Kumasi Metropolis for 8 hours with regard to the emitted levels of Indoor Air Pollutants (IAP) such as CO, SO₂, NO₂, Particulate Matter_2.5 and Particulate Matter₁₀ during cooking.

OBJECTIVES

•Quantify the emitted levels of CO, SO₂, NO₂, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ during cooking activities

•Compare levels with respective acceptable thresholds for human exposure

RELEVANCE OF STUDY

•High School Kitchens in Ghana undertake large-scale cooking to cater for a large number of students and staff using solid fuels

•The study sheds light on the status of Indoor Air Pollution of Senior High School Kitchens to ascertain if the levels of criteria air pollutants are harmful for human inhalation

METHODOLOGY

An 8 hour Real Time Indoor Air Monitoring of the Target Pollutants.

•Instruments were placed at 1.5 m away from cookstoves

•Instruments were placed at 1.5 m height

DISCUSSION

•The lowest indoor levels of the measured indoor pollutants in this study were found in Improved Cookstove kitchens

•Traditional Cookstove and Briquette Cookstove kitchens had offensive levels of indoor air pollutants which were far beyond recommended exposure limits

RECOMMENDATIONS

•Immediate temporary interventive measures such as chimneys, and clean institutional cookstoves should be employed in traditional cookstove school kitchens to reduce the emissions of pollutants

•Effective policies should be put in place by the government to transition all high school kitchens to cleaner cooking energies such as LPG and electricity

CONCLUSION

•This study provides novel data as far as indoor air quality in school kitchens is concerned, and offers the basis for expedited action on the transitioning to cleaner cookstoves and fuels for cooking

REFERENCES

1.Ababio, B.A., Nkansah, M.A., Hogarh, J.N., Agyekum, T.P. and Commeh, M.K., 2023. In-kitchen particulate matter emissions in high schools in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana: Levels and the health risk assessment. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 11, p.100358.

2.Ababio, B.A., 2023. Evaluation of indoor air quality of senior high school kitchens in the Kumasi metropolis (Masters Dissertation).