MEASUREMENT OF DEPOSITION RATES AND PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS OF HARMATTAN DUST COLLECTED FROM KANO AND ZARIA CITIES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

More recent theoretical and experimental studies have shown that the failure of large particles to penetrate and be retained in the lungs is related to their high settling rate in air. There is renewed interest in aerosol properties because of evidence that the exposure of humans to high concentrations of airborne particulate matter can have a detrimental effect on health. The Bodélé depression, Chad in North Africa is widely regarded as the world’s largest source of mineral aerosols. In Nigeria, respiratory related ailments were ranked among the leading diseases in the year 1994 to 1997. Today respiratory diseases remains common throughout the world, as half of the world’s population is infected with one respiratory disease or the other. Soil dust is a major constituent of airborne particles in the global atmosphere.