Lagos air is often poor. Millions of vehicles idling in traffic, generators running in every street, rubbish burned in the open and, in the dry season, dust blown in from the Sahara all add up.
The sources
- Traffic, especially old diesel buses and trucks in slow-moving queues.
- Generators, close to homes and windows, for hours a day.
- Burning rubbish and open fires.
- The harmattan, the dry north-east wind of the dry season, which fills the sky with fine dust and haze.
Who is most at risk
Children, older people, pregnant women, and anyone with asthma, other lung conditions or heart disease. On bad days, they should limit time outside and hard exercise.
Protecting yourself
- At home: keep the generator well away from windows and doors, and never run it indoors. Its exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which kills quietly. A carbon monoxide alarm is cheap and worth having.
- Indoors on bad days: keep windows closed during the worst haze, and consider an air purifier for a bedroom.
- Outside: a well-fitting mask filters dust and particles; a cloth mask does little.
- Exercise early in the morning, away from main roads.
Health
See a doctor for a persistent cough, wheezing or breathlessness, especially in children. Harmattan dust also dries the eyes, skin and lips; drink water and use a moisturiser.