Particulate matter levels in the atmosphere and their temporal variations in an urban fish smoking community and a busy highway interchange

In Ghana's Central Region, the study was conducted to look at the amounts and fluctuations of particulate matter (PM) in the Apam fish-smoking community (AFC) and Winneba highway junction (WHJ). Three times a week, from July 2022 to February 2023, 24-hour airborne particles were collected. PM10 was collected using a Gent sampler equipped with a Gast pump and a stacked filter unit to separate the particles into coarse (PM2.5-10) and fine (PM2.5) size fractions. Gravimetric and reflectance methods were used to quantify the concentrations of particles and black carbon (BC), respectively. The study discovered that the average concentrations of PM2.5 (25.66 µg/m3) and PM10 (75.30 µg/m3) for AFC and PM2.5 (20.35 µg/m3) and PM10 (73.19 µg/m3) for WHJ exceeded the 24-hour mean WHO threshold limits of 15 and 45 µg/m3 for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. The AQI classified atmospheric air quality in the study areas as moderate, suggesting that vulnerable individuals should avoid prolonged PM exposure. BC concentrations substantially influenced PM2.5 loadings (R2 =0.60-0.73). PM levels in the Harmattan season were double those in the non-Harmattan season. Adoption of eco-friendly transport and a transition to sustainable clean fish smoking are required to reduce ambient PM pollution and its seasonal variability