Awareness and Impact of Black Soot on Selected Food Vendors in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study examined the impact of black carbon on the residents of Port Harcourt Metropolis of Rivers State, Nigeria. The objectives were to evaluate the awareness of black soot by the residents of the study area, evaluate the awareness level of respondents on the effect of black soot on health, and assess the impact of black soot on the income of some selected food vendors. Survey research design was used for this study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 150 respondents from 10 communities in Port-Harcourt metropolis. Data collected for this study was analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square statistical and simple linear regression. The results show that a significant number (96.7%) of Port Harcourt residents are aware of the presence of black soot. The residents (32.0%) are equally aware of the health dangers of black soot. 85% of the residents are aware of illegal bunkering being the number one cause of black soot. 78% of barbecue food vendors reported decreased patronage due to black soot pollution and the regression results shows that black soot significantly and adversely affects barbecue food vendors in Port Harcourt. The study concluded that the black soot negatively affects the livelihood of barbecue food vendors in Port Harcourt metropolis, and recommended that the vendors should take steps to employ hygienic practises so as to mitigate the effect of black soot on their food they sell and also for the government to tackle illegal oil bunkering as it is the major cause of black soot in the state.

Keywords

References