Abstract

This study presents the results of a systematic review of evidence of the health effects of black carbon in Shaguolo, Ubeji and environs in Warri, Delta State. This work examined the health effects of combustion related air pollution indicated by black carbon. In this study a direct method was applied in observing the relative concentration between different locations providing an integrated time weighted average exposure. The study is based on the existing epidemiological literature to quantitatively estimate the current health effects attributed to carbon black exposure in the study area. Short-term epidemiological studies provide sufficient evidence of an association of daily variations in black carbon (BC) concentrations with short-term changes in health (all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and cardiopulmonary hospital admissions). Cohort studies provide sufficient evidence of associations of all cause and cardiopulmonary mortality with long-term average black carbon (BC) exposure. Studies of short-term health effects suggest that black carbon (BC) is a better indicator of harmful particulate substances from combustion sources (especially traffic) than undifferentiated particulate matter (PM) mass, but the evidence for the relative strength of association from long-term studies is inconclusive. The review of the results of all available toxicological studies suggested that back carbon (BC) may not be a major toxic component of fine particulate matter (PM), but it may operate as a universal carrier of a wide variety of chemicals of varying toxicity to the lungs, the body’s major defense cells and possibly the systemic blood circulation. The study examines the health outcome in relation to increase in exposure to carbon black. Based on the findings recommendations were proffered.