Die korrelasie tussen die lugbesoedelingstatus en die lewenskwaliteit van die inwoners van Bayview en die invloed daarvan op hul persepsies

Abstract

Air pollution is a global problem and it can also have a larger impact in developing countries like South-Africa. Mossel Bay was one of the regions in the Western-Cape that was rated to have potentially poor air quality. With above mentioned in mind, the research was done in Bayview. Bayview is a upper income suburb of Mossel-Bay. The suburb is surrounded by industrial activities that increased the possibility of a bad status of the air. This research measured the concentrations of the primary pollutants, SO2, NO2, PM10, O3 en Benzine, as well as the meteorological data for a period of one year as from the 1st October 2008 to the 30th of September 2009. The monitoring was done by using the mobile air quality monitoring station of the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning's that was situated in Mossel Bay. The research also correlated with the human aspects of air quality control and the monitoring results. The quality of life of the Bayview residents was measured by using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire had amongst others, obtained the symptoms of certain air quality related diseases that the 114 respondents have recorded for the responding period of air quality monitoring. Other aspects that were researched were obtaining the social status, exposure, and work exposure and health consciousness of the respondents. Air quality surveys can fail if not put in the context of the perceptions of the affected communities. Therefore the perceptions of the respondents were also tested by a structured questionnaire. Aspects of perceptions that were tested were amongst others, the visual influence of perceptions, exposure, social status and the perception of the hazard. The results of the monitoring station for the period from 1st October 2008 to 30 September 2009, were compared with the proposed standards of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (Act 39 of 2004) South-African National Ambient Air Quality Standards, as well as the SANS 1929 target values for PM10. There were no exceedences of the measured pollutants against the National Air Quality Standards. The results found that the SANS 1929 standards were also not exceeded for SO2, NO2, O' and C6H6. The concentrations of PM10 equaled the SANS standards of 75pg/m3 on a few occasions. However, the SANS 1929 daily target values of 50pg/m3 were exceeded on a few occasions. Overall though, the air quality status of the research area was within the legislative conditions. Twenty six point three percent (26.3% n = 30) of the respondents did not indicate any symptoms of any air quality related illnesses during the study period.