Multivariate analysis of air pollution and associated potential respiratory health risks in urban areas of the Southeast Asian region and Africa
-
Samuel Nketia Boateng
,
Felicia Takyi
,
Gertrude Oboh
,
Harriet Kyerewaah Ampoful
,
Josephine Kuttor
,
Albert Ebo Duncan
Abstract
Introduction: The nature of heavy pollution incidence that plagues the South East Asian (SEAR) Region and the African region demands the understanding of air pollution dynamics within these regions to inform policy formulation to improve environmental health. This study therefore aims to grasp the transformation of air pollutants in the last 10 years in the two regions and their potential to influence respiratory health.
Materials and methods: This study used the 6th edition of the ambient air quality data from the WHO website, which was revised and published on January 22, 2024. 1609 dataset was used for this research, spanning the 16
countries.
Results: The results of the analysis show that in the last 10 years, the mean PM10 (64.15 ± 40.38 g/m³), PM2.5 (22.98 ± 23.65 g/m3 ), and NO₂ (8.83 ± 7.99 g/m³) were 64.15 ± 40.38 g/m³, 22.98 ± 23.65 g/m³, and 8.83 ± 7.99 g/m³, respectively. Consequently, the air quality index for PM10 and PM2.5 stands at 57.73 and 96.59 for the African Region and 55.53 and 74.61 for SEAR, indicating a satisfactory air quality. The principal component analysis showed that NO₂ exposure and monitoring explained 39.91% of the variance in the
data, while component 2 (PM10 and PM2.5) explained 19.43%. The regression model showed that PM10 temporal coverage can be used to predict NO₂ concentration. Indicating that better cover for PM10 can be used to estimate NO2 concentration.
Conclusion: This study has highlighted that temporal coverage can be a useful means for air pollutant estimation. Hence, governments should increase monitoring of air pollutants, in this peak era of industrialisation to capture the many unquantified contaminants.
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17. Wen TY, Chantara S, Jalaludin J, Lestari P, Syafei AD, Pham TV, et al. Overview of Aerosol and Air Pollution in South Eastern Asia Countries. Aerosol Air Qual Res. 2023;23(10):230055.
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24. Porcheddu A, Kolehmainen V, Lähivaara T, Lipponen A. Machine learning data fusion for high spatio-temporal resolution PM2.5. Atmospheric Meas Tech. 2025 Sep 25;18(18):4771–89.
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29. Hashim BM, Al-Naseri SK, Al-Maliki A, Al-Ansari N. Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on NO2, O3, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and assessing air quality changes in Baghdad, Iraq. Sci Total Environ. 2021 Feb;754:141978.
30. Sannoh F, Fatmi Z, Carpenter DO, Santoso M, Siddique A, Khan K, et al. Air pollution we breathe: Assessing the air quality and human health impact in a megacity of Southeast Asia. Sci Total Environ. 2024 Sep;942:173403.
31. Shairsingh K, Ruggeri G, Krzyzanowski M, Mudu P, Malkawi M, Castillo J, et al. WHO air quality database: relevance, history and future developments. Bull World Health Organ. 2023 Dec 1;101(12):800–7.
32. Saju JA, Bari QH, Mohiuddin KABM, Strezov V. Measurement of ambient particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10) in Khulna City of Bangladesh and their implications for human health. Environ Syst Res. 2023 Dec 19;12(1):42.
33. Rahman M, Meng L. Examining the Spatial and Temporal Variation of PM2.5 and Its Linkage with Meteorological Conditions in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Atmosphere. 2024 Nov 27;15(12):1426.
34. Humagai BK, Adhikari K, Pradhan B, Yangzom T. Assessment of Ambient Particulate Matter Concentrations- PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 at Rinchending in Phuentsholing, Bhutan. Bhutan J Res Dev [Internet]. 2022 Apr 11 [cited 2026 Jan 29]; Available from: https://bjrd.rub.edu.bt/index.php/bjrd/article/view/134
35. Pandey A, Brauer M, Cropper ML, Balakrishnan K, Mathur P, Dey S, et al. Health and economic impact of air pollution in the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Planet Health. 2021 Jan;5(1):e25–38.
36. Verma RL, Oanh NTK, Winijkul E, Huy LN, Armart IP, Laowagul W, et al. Air quality management status and needs of countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia. APN Sci Bull. 2023 Aug 18;13(1):102.
37. Ji JS, Liu L, Zhang J, Kan H, Zhao B, Burkart KG, et al. NO2 and PM2.5 air pollution co-exposure and temperature effect modification on pre-mature mortality in advanced age: a longitudinal cohort study in China. Environ Health. 2022 Oct 13;21(1):97.
38. Adebayo-Ojo TC, Wichmann J, Arowosegbe OO, Probst-Hensch N, Schindler C, Künzli N. Short-Term Effects of PM10, NO2, SO2 and O3 on Cardio-Respiratory Mortality in Cape Town, South Africa, 2006–2015. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 30;19(13):8078.
39. Hisamuddin NH, Jalaludin J, Yusof AN, Tualeka AR. Genotoxic effects of exposure to urban traffic related air pollutants on children in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Aerosol Air Qual Res. 2020;20(12):2614–23.
40. Sopian NA, Jalaludin J, Abu Bakar S, Hamedon TR, Latif MT. Exposure to particulate PAHs on potential genotoxicity and cancer risk among school children living near the petrochemical industry. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(5):2575.
41. Mamić L, Gašparović M, Kaplan G. Developing PM2.5 and PM10 prediction models on a national and regional scale using open-source remote sensing data. Environ Monit Assess. 2023 Jun;195(6):644.
42. Khafaie MA, Yajnik CS, Salvi SS, Ojha a. Critical review of air pollution health effects with special concern on respiratory health. 2016;
43. Pope CA, Dockery DW. Health Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution: Lines that Connect. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2006 Jun;56(6):709–42.
44. Atuyambe LM, Arku RE, Naidoo N, Kapwata T, Asante KP, Cissé G, et al. The Health Impacts of Air Pollution in the Context of Changing Climate in Africa: A Narrative Review with Recommendations for Action. Ann Glob Health. 2024 Dec 5;90(1):76.
45. Romanello M, McGushin A, Di Napoli C, Drummond P, Hughes N, Jamart L, et al. The 2021 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: code red for a healthy future. The Lancet. 2021 Oct;398(10311):1619–62.
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| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 11 No 1 (2026): Winter 2026 | |
| Section | Original Research | |
| Keywords | ||
| Air pollution; Temporal coverage; Particulate matter; Southeast Asian region; African region | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Boateng SN, Takyi F, Oboh G, Ampoful H, Kuttor J, Duncan A. Multivariate analysis of air pollution and associated potential respiratory health risks in urban areas of the Southeast Asian region and Africa. JAPH. 2026;11(1):55-76.
