Assessment of the Long-Term Health Effects of Exposure to Landfill Sites in the Lagos Metropolitan Area: A Case Study of the Olusosun Landfill and its Surrounding Communities
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Abstract
In urban areas of developing countries globally, prolonged exposure to municipal landfill sites, notably their impact on human health, is turning into a serious issue. The study focuses on the residents perceived long-term health impact of exposure to the Olusosun landfill site in Ojota, Lagos State. The study adopts a self-designed questionnaire administered through an online survey. A convenience sampling technique was adopted and sampled to participants residing within a 2-kilometre radius and analysed using descriptive statistics. The residents overwhelmingly agreed at a percentage of 99% and 91% that the environment and physical health, are the two main effects of the landfill site on surrounding communities, including effects like odour and foul smell, especially in the mornings and during the rainy season. The residents also identified indiscriminate disposal of waste in the neighbourhood proximate to the waste sites, stalled garbage trucks queuing to dispose of waste, among others. Particular concerns of the residents are the related health implications of the observed health issues, with 232 reporting skin irritability, 210 diarrhoea/dysentery, and 198 reporting other water-related diseases caused by contaminated groundwater. Despite the perceived health and environmental effects of the landfill, the study shows no statistical correlation between proximity to the landfill site in Olusosun and the residents' self-assessed health status. A longitudinal study of the area is advised to provide adequate comprehension of the proximity and health dynamics. A more effective, robust and environmentally sustainable waste management policy should be implemented to ensure the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of guaranteeing everyone's health and well-being, as well as access to clean water, improved sanitation, and sustainable urban and rural areas.
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