Traffic congestion a health risk to the residents of Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi residents are exposed to respiratory diseases and at risk of death due to air pollution attributed to traffic congestion, a study has indicated.

Research by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that outdoor urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles and factories, accounts for the premature deaths of 1,340,000 people annually.

Air pollution has particularly risen high up in many countries’ and sub-regional political agenda. Nairobi is likely to be affected largely since there are no facilities to monitor air quality.

According to a research done by Nairobi University, the quality of air in Nairobi is very poor and has greatly been caused by vehicles.

Continuous exposure to the polluted air is likely to cause headaches, fatigues, respiratory infections and in the long run cause lung cancers.