Assessment of air pollution in crude oil producing communities of Ogbia in Bayelsa State, South-South, Nigeria

Ambient air quality was assessed in five crude-oil-producing communities—Imiringi, Otuasega, Emeyal, Otuoke and Ibelebiri—in Ogbia, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, to characterise seasonal pollution patterns and potential health implications. Using triplicate measurements from an Oceanus AQM-09 station over eight months, concentrations of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , CO, NO₂, SO₂ and O₃ were evaluated for dry and wet seasons. Dry-season PM 2.5 ranged from 153.53 ± 123.82 to 191.10 ± 122.72 µg m⁻ 3 , while PM 10 varied between 132.67 ± 101.30 and 147.33 ± 103.74 µg m⁻ 3 . Corresponding wet-season values declined markedly, with PM 2.5 of 19.52 ± 8.94–36.85 ± 21.90 µg m⁻ 3 and PM 10 of 26.33 ± 3.79–32.00 ± 3.06 µg m⁻ 3 . Gaseous pollutants showed similar seasonal contrasts: CO (dry: 282.00 ± 16.09–316.33 ± 46.69 µg m⁻ 3 ; wet: 216.67 ± 27.14–244.33 ± 17.01 µg m⁻ 3 ), NO₂ (dry: 8.15 ± 1.09–10.03 ± 1.09 µg m⁻ 3 ; wet: 5.01 ± 4.34–6.60 ± 4.85 µg m⁻ 3 ), O₃ (dry: 58.15 ± 36.26–70.92 ± 23.69 µg m⁻ 3 ; wet: 32.37 ± 18.73–34.37 ± 22.19 µg m⁻ 3 ) and consistently low SO₂ (< 2 µg m⁻ 3 ). Multivariate analyses implicated gas flaring, oil-related combustion and secondary photochemical processes as dominant sources. The findings indicate sustained exposure risks in Ogbia communities and reinforce the need for continuous monitoring and stricter emission control.