The Impact of Vehicular Emissions on the Environmental Aerosol Concentration in Gaborone, Botswana

Abstract

Motor vehicle emissions have a profound effect on the aerosol number concentrations in urban environments where it has been linked to several adverse health effects. Measurements were carried out in Gaborone, Botswana, using two automatic laser scattering particle counters. Particles were monitored in eight size ranges from 0.1 µm to 5.0 µm. The number-size distributions of the aerosols were investigated during periods of low and high traffic. Total particle concentrations were found to increase by over a factor of six, from approximately 1000 to 6000 cm-3. A hand held particle counter was used for measurements around the city. In a set of measurements carried out across the city on a calm day, the concentration within the city was found to be greater than that outside by over a factor of two.


(Af. J. of Science and Technology: 2002 3(2): 62-66)