Assessment of the Concentration of Carbon Monoxide in Ambient Air Environment of Abakaliki Urban Area, Nigeria

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a well known gaseous atmospheric pollutant. In this study the baseline concentration of CO in the ambient air environment of Abakaliki Urban Area, Nigeria was estimated using digital CO gas monitor. Ten sites were monitored for their CO levels and the data collected were statistically analyzed. Results show that the mean concentration of ambient CO in Abakaliki Urban Area, Nigeria was 1.01 ± 0.30 ppm. The range was 0.160 ? 2.60 ppm. Vanco Junction site had the highest concentration of CO (2.60 ppm) while Rice Mill Area had the lowest CO concentration (0.160 ppm). The results also indicated a gradual increase in CO concentration with increase in the time of day from 6am to 6pm with a peak CO concentration (1.34 ppm) occurring at 4pm. High traffic density was responsible for the observed variations in ambient CO concentrations. However, the concentration of CO in the study area was far below the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization threshold of 10 ppm and 9 ppm respectively for 8 hours averaging period.