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Respondents' knowledge of carbon monoxide as a source of poisoning in Nigeria

Respondents' knowledge of carbon monoxide as a source of poisoning in Nigeria

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Article
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Background: Private portable electrical power generators are common household items in Nigeria owing to inadequate electrical power provision for the public. These engines often run indoors, emitting poisonous carbon monoxide gas. Fatalities are commonly reported as a result of carbon monoxide inhalation. This study evaluated awareness of and attit...

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Context 1
... to the results detailed in Table 3, 24 respondents (30.4%) knew that electrical power generators were a source of carbon monoxide poisoning. Approximately half of the respondents (49.7%) were unaware of this. ...

Citations

... In the context of Nigeria, it was observed that out of the 157 participants surveyed, a significant majority of 73.4% shown a limited comprehension regarding the sources of carbon monoxide poisoning. According to Afolayan et al. (2014), despite a majority (60.5%) of individuals having received prior education on carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, there appears to be a lack of attention towards the health risks associated with CO poisoning caused by indoor electrical generators. This suggests the need for additional efforts to raise awareness on this particular hazard. ...
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Background: Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas that lacks discernible color or scent. Individuals may experience the impact of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions originating from a range of sources, such as gas stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, and motor vehicles. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the perception and knowledge pertaining to symptoms, risk factors, causes, and preventative strategies of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning among the general population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Subjects and methods: The present investigation constitutes a cross-sectional study conducted on the overall population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The research focused on those who are not involved in the healthcare profession, utilizing an electronic survey as the primary data collection method. The questionnaire primarily comprises three sections: socio-demographic information, knowledge evaluation, and habitual factors and behaviours pertaining to carbon monoxide poisoning. Results: Out of 568 participants, (52.8%) were aged between 18 to 25 years with (64.1%) being females. A significant proportion of the participants exhibited little knowledge (67.6%), unfavorable attitudes (72.4%), but shown commendable adherence to preventive measures (64.4%). Conclusion: There was a lack of knowledge and a weakness in attitude. Nevertheless, preventive practices are highly motivating. Individuals who possess awareness of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning tend to demonstrate superior levels of knowledge and adherence to safety precautions when compared to those who lack such awareness.
... In addition, environmental degradation in Nigeria is also due to its poor state of infrastructural facilities and non-eco-friendly domestic activities such as the use of power generating sets, incessant burning of refuse, increased carbon footprints and individual ignorance of environmental protection issues (Afolayan et al., 2014;Haider, 2019). Consequently, despite participating in the signed Paris Agreement to mitigate climate change in 2016 (Shepard, 2019) and the activities of its Department of Climate Change and Federal Ministry of Environment towards reducing environmental degradation, Nigeria ranks as the tenth most polluted country in the world (World Population Review, 2020). ...
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This chapter builds on the understanding of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) and employee pro-environmental behaviours using the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. Research on GHRM in sub-Saharan Africa, especially Nigeria, has yet to be explored despite rising fears of environmental degradation. Therefore, given the unique economic, political and sociocultural landscape of the country, which is different from that of Western countries, this research explores the factors that constrain the adoption and implementation of GHRM in Nigeria. Adopting a qualitative, interpretive methodology, the study adopts a thematic analysis procedure (TAP) of semi-structured interview data drawn from 47 professionals across the Nigerian services industry to establish their understanding of GHRM in the Nigerian context—as well as their perception regarding the factors that constrain GHRM adoption by organisations in the country. The chapter reveals that a vast majority of organisations in Nigeria lack green GHRM awareness, culture and green capital, which are considered factors for the non-adoption and implementation of GHRM practice, which is associated with poor environmental and organisational sustainability in the country. The situation is worsened by a lack of commitment from the organisations and the relevant government agencies to initiate workable GHRM policies and enforce their compliance. Ultimately, this research is essential for emphasising the United Nations’ green goals for sustainable development.KeywordsGHRMNigeriaEmployee pro-environmental behavioursOrganisational culturePolitical commitment
... They are supposed to be a primary source of knowledge on public health issues (Afolayan, et al., 2014). The result of this study agrees with (Afolayan, et al., 2014) who conducted a survey of health workers at a referral hospital in Nigeria to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding the risks of CO poisoning and concluded; the existence of knowledge gap regarding CO poisoning. About 55% of those polled could not name any signs of CO poisoning. ...
... CO shuts out oxygen supply to the blood stream and results in asphyxiation. In America, the total annual hospital emergencies due to carbon monoxide poisoning was 40,000 and 400 deaths [31]. Accidental CO poisoning is estimated to result in societal costs of over 1.3 billion USD annually in direct hospital costs and lost earnings in the US [32]. ...
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Air pollution has become one of the leading causes of death globally. This paper investigates the causes as well as sources of air pollution in the indoor and outdoor environment. It identifies anthropogenic activities related such as transportation and other activities involving the combustion of fossil fuel as the major causes of air pollution. The several and diverse health implications of air pollution were highlighted. The dangerous nature of carbon monoxide was x-rayed and the common indoor and outdoor sources were discussed. The risks of carbon monoxide poisoning from generator fumes and vehicle exhaust were clearly enumerated. Particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and ultra fine PM) were clearly shown to be the major casue of chronic and fatal respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Indoor air quality, which is usually overlooked was brought to the fore and shown to be worse than outdoor air quaility in some cases, especially where ventilation is poor. The inextricable link between air pollution and climate change was also established. Mitigative measure such as policies/acts, replacement of fossil fuel with solar PVs, replacement of conventional vehicles with electric vehicles and establishment of urban forests were discussed. Frequent and evenly distributed air quality monitoring, especially using android-enabled portable devices was broached. Besides, policies and other global approaches, individuals must adopt personal protective measures to protect themselves from the menace of air pollution.
... In addition, the women had poor knowledge of CO, sources and its health consequences. These findings are consistent with earlier studies done in [8][9] Nigeria . However, this present study is the only one that has directly measured the level of carbon monoxide. ...
Article
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Background: Indoor air pollution remains poorly studied and under reported in Nigeria. High level of carbon monoxide (CO) indoor poses increased risk for adverse health outcome which is largely unrecognized in Nigeria. Aim: This study was conceived to measure 24-Hour indoor CO level in selected homes in Lagos. Setting and Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 100 selected h o u s e h o l d s d r a w n f r o m f o u r u r b a n communities in Lagos. Methods: Data was collected from consenting women aged 18 years and above using an interviewer administered questionnaire. In addition, 24-hour CO level was monitored using the Easy Log USB CO Monitor (Lascar Electronics, Erie, PA,) that was placed in the common sitting area in the home by a trained field worker. This sampled the air every 30 seconds. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 23. Quantitative data was expressed as Mean ± SD, and comparison done with student T test. P<0.05 was taken as significant. Results: The range of CO level measured indoor was 0-124.5ppm with mean maximum CO of 19.81±26.67ppm. The mean maximum CO was 20.97±20.70 ppm in those whose generators were turned on during the measurement and 18.58±23.94 ppm in those household not exposed to generator fumes (t=-0.434, p-0.7). Only 53 households had safe CO level. None of the houses had CO detectors or alarms. Conclusion: The households studied were exposed to potentially dangerous levels of CO regardless of whether a generator is in use or not. This implies possible multiple sources of CO indoors. There is need to provide cleaner sources of energy for household use and educate the populace on use of CO detectors in homes. K E Y W O R D S : C a r b o n m o n o x i d e , Measurement, Indoor.
... As a result of this, there has been contamination of the air, water and soil which subsequently interferes with human health, the standard of living, and natural functioning of the ecosystem. [8][9][10][11][12][13]. CO 2 is a greenhouse gas of great concern, contributing greatly to global warming [14]. ...
Article
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The study is aimed at providing information on the composition of the exhaust gas and concentration of air pollutants that are generated by different commonly used electricity generators in an average Nigerian household. The generators used for this study were a 0.7 kVA petrol engine, a 2.5 kVA petrol engine and an 8.8 kVA diesel engine. The gases include: CO2, CO, SO2, NO2, NO, O3, Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), Total Suspended Particles (TSP) and respirable and inhalable particulates (PM2.5 and PM10). The mean concentrations of the air pollutants measured for 0.7, 2.5 and 8.8 kVA generators respectively were as follows: NO had a value of 14.84, 15.8 and 21.84 ppm, NO2 had a value of 6.44, 4.14 and 5.54 ppm, NOx had a value of 21.27, 19.94 and 27.37 ppm, The mean concentration of the air pollutants recorded for 0.7, 2.5 and 8.8 kVA generators includes: 98.0, 60.24 and 0.00 ppm for SO2; 1006.67, 1391.54 and 69.80 ppm for CO; 1000.00, 1266.67 and 1733.34 ppm for CO2; 62.67, 362.34, 80.67 µg/m3 for O3 respectively. The mean value for TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 were 844.57, 1288.57 and 1249.00 µg/m3; 510.80, 763.04 and 760.74 µg/m3; and 333.77, 525.54 and 488.27 µg/m3 for 0.7 kVA, 2.5 kVA and 8.8 kVA generators respectively. Due to the high risk of health hazards and ecological impacts associated with the air pollutants, it is advisable to switch to alternative sources of electricity that are clean and environmentally safe.
... Carbon monoxide (CO) is the most common cause of accidental poisoning. According to Afolayan, Olajumoke, Amadasun & Isesele (2014), CO poisoning symptoms in as many as 25,000 ...
... Analysis from the findings shows that although there's a high level of awareness towards preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, majority of them do not follow this preventive measures. There is a possibility that the students did not adhere to this preventive measures due to reasons as found in a study done by Afolayan, et al (2014), which includes, damage by rain, theft, destruction by children and so on. ...
Thesis
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Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a gas that is odorless and colorless, when inhaled can injure ones health and in extreme cases lead to death. This gas is being emitted by heavy artillery cars, generators among others. Due to the rate of accidental and non intentional death linked to generators, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (2007) introduced the label warning as a form of communication to inform users of the dangers of CO. This study seeks to find out the reason behind the ineffectiveness of the warning. Six research questions where posed to help guide the study. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select four (4) universities (Federal and State) out of nine (9) universities in the South-East region of Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research methodology. The major findings from the analysis obtained revealed that; students were not aware of label warnings on portable generators which hindered exposure and comprehension of the message. Some factors identified by the students as the reason why they were not aware or understand the message ranges from the placement of the label warning on the generator, the font size of the message, time factor ,among others. The study also found out that almost the entire population was aware of product instruction manuals and their portable generators came with instruction manuals but they barely expose themselves to it before use. From the above findings, this work therefore recommends that manufactures should make the label warning more visibly, by increasing the font size.
Preprint
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This article compared the use of LPG and gasoline as the fuel for household power generators mostly used in Nigeria and Sub sahara Africa. Sound level, Carbon emission and ambient temperature were the metrics compared at different loading conditions. The environmental and health hazards according to EPA and WHO were also depicted.
Article
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Private individuals, Businesses and Industries have long resulted to the use of stand-alone generators as an alternative source to a public utility. These sources burn fossil fuels to power the loads connected to them. The environmental effects of using the common fuel sources; petrol and propane gas for the generators were however investigated in this article. Measurement, observation and analysis of the carbon-monoxide emission, ambient temperature, and sound level of the two sources were independently carried out at various loading conditions. Observations however depicted the two sources raising ambient temperature of the environment they are put in by close to 15%. The carbon monoxide emission for propane fired generator was maximum at 240W load with 204ppm while that of petrol fired generator was maximum at no load with 733ppm. The carbon monoxide emissions were constant for the propane-fired generator but reduces as the load increases for the petrol fired generator. The emission for both sources was above the WHO standard exposure limits of 87ppm for 15minutes. The sound level of approximately 90dB for both sources, when compared with EPA standards, should not be exposed to in proximity for more than 90minutes. Running these generators far away from living rooms will have a little direct effect on people's health but a lot on the depletion of the ozone layer thereby causing global warming. They will however be more directly harmful when they are run close to our living rooms, and offices causing several diseases/impairments which may ultimately lead to death.