Overview of
Environmental Hazards
and Health Effects of
Pollution in Developing
Countries: A Case Study
of Nigeria
Pollution has taken on a
Seeking Effective
Solutions to Pollution
Problems in
Developing Countries
global dimension, and the
effects are most obvious in
developing countries. The
effects take a toll on hu-
man health, animals, and
vegetation, as well as on
soil, air, and water quality.
The objective of this article
is to discuss the current relationships among
pollution, environmental quality, and hu-
man health within the frame of anthro-
pogenic activities in developing countries. In
addition to personal observations, we review
relevant literature on conditions throughout
the developing world and case studies on
conditions and activities in Nigeria. Key find-
ings show the significant, adverse contribu-
tions to human health and environmental
risk from current waste generation and han-
dling practices, indoor and outdoor air pollu-
tion, wastewater and effluent generation and
disposal, the hazardous nature and pollution
potential of wastes, and
the human behaviors that
contribute to pollution
in developing countries.
There is an urgent need to
create awareness among
the various segments of
society of the human
health hazards posed by
pollution as well as a need
for the comprehensive development and
enforcement of appropriate policies to pre-
vent a descent into an abyss of deteriorating
human and environmental health.
Joshua O. Babayemi
Mary B. Ogundiran
Oladele Osibanjo
© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)
DOI: 10.1002/tqem.21480
Environmental Quality Management / DOI 10.1002/tqem / Fall 2016 / 51