Spatial and temporal patterns of particulate matter sources and pollution in four communities in Accra, Ghana

Sources of air pollution in developing country cities include transportation and industrial pollution, biomass fuel use, and re-suspended dust from unpaved roads. We examined the spatial patterns of particulate matter (PM) and its sources in four neighborhoods of varying socioeconomic status (SES) in Accra. PM data were from 1 week of morning and afternoon mobile and stationary air pollution measurements in each of the study neighborhoods. PM2.5 and PM10 were measured continuously, with matched GPS coordinates. Data on biomass fuel use were from the Ghana 2000 population and housing census and from a census of wood and charcoal stoves along the mobile monitoring paths. We analyzed the associations of PM with sources using a mixed-effects regression model accounting for temporal and spatial autocorrelation. After adjusting for other factors, the density of wood stoves, fish smoking, and trash burning along the mobile monitoring path as well as road capacity and surface were associated with higher PM2.5. Road capacity and road surface variables were also associated with PM10, but the association with biomass sources was weak or absent. While wood stoves and fish smoking were significant sources of air pollution, addressing them would require financial and physical access to alternative fuels for low-income households and communities.

► This is the first study of spatial patterns of PM levels and sources in multiple neighborhoods in a developing country city.
► We developed a novel spatio-temporal model to estimate pollution-source association, which can be used to predict PM levels.
► Wood stoves, fish smoking, trash burning, road capacity and surface were associated to higher PM2.5.
► Community SES was inversely associated with PM pollution.