Spatial patterns of gas flaring stations and the risk to the respiratory and dermal health of residents of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract This study assessed the health risk for respiratory and dermal related conditions as a result of residents’ exposure to air emissions from gas flaring stations (GFS). The spatial patterns of the GFS were evaluated. Air pollutants from the eight GFS were monitored and medical data were obtained from six primary health care centres that are in the proximity of the GFS. Additionally, a well-structured questionnaire was administered to 200 residents in the GFS vicinity. Nearest neighbor analysis and SPSS for Windows (version 21.0) were used to analyze the data obtained. The GFS exhibited a clustered configuration. The concentration of air pollutants varied significantly (p = 0.001 – 0.018) in the dry and wet seasons. NO2 and PM10 were higher than the WHO permissible limit. Respiratory and dermal-related ailments accounted for about 21.1 to 76.3% of the entire hospital visits; the most frequent were eye irritation and chest pain. There was a steady increase (r2 = 0.01–0.78) in the reported cases of the respiratory ailment from 2013 to 2016. Strong associations (r = -0.877–0.831; r2 = 0.238 – 0.892; p