Monitoring And Health Risk Evaluation of AtmosphericPollutants In Owerri Metropolis and Sub-Urban Areas ofImoState,NigeriaUsingChemometric Models

Concern about health risk from atmospheric pollutants; Particulate Matter (PM ₁₀ ), Sulphur dioxide (SO ₂ ), Nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂ ) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) prompted atmospheric monitoring and inhalation health risk assessment for residents of Owerri Metropolis and its Sub-urban areas. Field measurements werecarried out in 35 select locations within Imo State. Monitoring was carried outusing Chemometric methods as Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) and Artificial NeuralNetwork (ANN).The experiments' findings showed that the pollutants existed year-round. The human health risk assessment methodology of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was utilized to estimate potential health risks resulting from exposure to contaminants. For acute and chronic exposure periods for infants, children, and adults, a scenario assessment technique was used, wherein normal exposure and the worst-case scenario were adopted. The mean concentrations of the pollutants exceeded the WHO1-hr, 24-hrand annual mean maximum exposure limits. The 24-hour, annual PM ₁₀ ambient quality standard for instance was exceeded during the monitoring period. This could explain the chronic (annual) Hazard Quotient (HQ>1) that our study found, which suggests that there may be some danger associated with long-term PM10 exposure. Therefore, steps should be done to control the exposure of the public to contaminants and to increase public awareness. Frequent monitoring is advised to lower concentrations because determining whether these pollutants pose health risks as determined by the human health risk assessment framework will help the government, environmental experts, and other pertinent stakeholders take more decisive action to safeguard and extend human life.