What is the impact of the concentration of particulate matter on the respiratory health of households in urban Cameroon?

The galloping increase in the world's population is promoting growth in the number of cars in major cities, with an impact on air quality in urban areas caused by road traffic. Data on the concentration of particulate matter (PM) are obtained through an on-site data campaign in the city of Douala using the OC 300 Dust Particle Laser, a low-cost portable sensor. We surveyed 1,721 individuals in 344 households in the vicinity of the particulate pollutant measurement campaigns. The instrumental Logit model show that PM concentration have significantly associate with respiratory diseases, with specific effects of 0.231 (PM10), 0.122 (PM5) and 0.018 (PM2.5). The results show that unsealed roads and traffic density have a strong influence on PM levels. Our results also show that socio-demographic characteristics, in particular the level of education and the distance of households from intersections, moderately influence the impacts of pollution.