Study warns Ghana’s air pollution threatens public health

Air pollution across major cities in Ghana continues to rise, with new findings showing harmful fine particles far above safe health limits.

Researchers warned that the trend posed a growing threat to public health, especially in densely populated urban centres.

The study, led by Dr Dan Westervelt, Lamont Associate Research Professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, analysed 20 years of satellite data, weather patterns and ground-level readings.

It found persistently high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale, five to ten times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline of five micrograms per cubic metre.

PM2.5 refers to dust and smoke particles small enough to enter deep into the lungs and bloodstream, causing heart disease, lung damage, stroke, and asthma.

Dr. Westervelt told the Ghana News Agency that Accra recorded the highest pollution levels, driven by heavy traffic, industrial activities, household burning and emissions from diesel-powered generators.

He said Kumasi and Tamale were also heavily impacted by local pollution sources and long-distance dust transport from the Sahara during the Harmattan season.

Dr. Westervelt noted that the study, funded by the Clean Air Fund, showed Tamale experienced the strongest Harmattan peaks, with concentrations sometimes exceeding 100 micrograms per cubic metre.

“The health implications are alarming. The report estimates that more than 16,000 adults died prematurely in 2023 alone due to long-term exposure to PM2.5,” he said.

Dr. Westervelt urged authorities to adopt stricter measures to reduce emissions from transport, waste burning, and industrial activities.

He also recommended increased public education and real-time air quality monitoring to help residents avoid exposure during high-pollution periods.

Dr. Westervelt warned that without swift intervention, air pollution would continue to shorten life expectancy, strain the health system and threaten Ghana’s progress toward cleaner, healthier cities.

Air pollution remains one of Ghana’s deadliest public health threats.

In 2023 alone, it claimed over 32,000 lives, according to the State of Global Air 2025 report by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

The report showed that air pollution caused nearly 14 per cent of all deaths in Ghana last year, making it the country’s second leading risk factor after high blood pressure.

The WHO earlier estimated that about 28,000 Ghanaians died prematurely in 2019 due to polluted air.

By 2025, the figure had risen by more than 4,000, signalling a disturbing trend.

The Air Quality Life Index 2025 report also noted that dirty air was cutting nearly 0.8 years, or about nine months, from the average Ghanaian’s life expectancy.

Global deaths from air pollution remain around 7.9 million, with Ghana recording a comparatively high burden.

 

Source: GNA