Assessment of Kitchen Air Pollution: Health Implications for the Residents of Ilorin South, Nigeria

Indoor air quality is essential, so its quality cannot be compromised. Hence, this research assessed indoor gaseous air pollutant concentrations from sources in thirty-three residential kitchens within the 4-zone of Ilorin-South Local Government, Kwara, Nigeria. The work focused on SO(2), NO(2), and CO emission concentration quantification, determination of the air quality index (AQI), estimation of health assessment risk, and deduced their health implications on the residents. The concentrations of NO(2) and SO(2) were determined by the Saltzman method using a Gilair-3 air sampler, while the concentration of CO was determined using an MSA Altair-5x multigas detector. Three types of eleven kitchen environments each (kitchens where liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), charcoal, and firewood were used as fuel sources) were considered. The concentrations of NO(2), SO(2), and CO were higher in kitchens that used charcoal and firewood. The major health risks were deduced in percentages from the questionnaire administered, where headaches had the highest percentage (20.7). The model indicated that the concentrations of the pollutants in the evening, irrespective of the sampling points, were higher than those in the morning. Firewood contributed significantly more than charcoal and LPG (p < 0.05). The results of the health assessment risk showed that the risk estimated for normal exposure to the pollutants in all the households studied revealed a hazard quotient of <1.0 except for SO(2) from firewood for infants and children = 1.09. The AQI results showed the worst health conditions for households that used firewood (0.103–4.760 ppm NO(2); 0.327–0.647 ppm SO(2); and 12.30–57.83 ppm CO). The study concluded that the use of LPG should be preferred as a source of fuel for cooking.