PARTICULATE MATTER POLLUTION AND HEALTH STATUS OF RESIDENTS IN AMASSOMA, BAYELSA STATE: A STUDY ON THE PREVALENCE OF BIRTH DEFECTS (A QUALITATIVE STUDY)

Amassoma, a university community in Bayelsa State's Niger Delta, suffers severe environmental degradation from decades of oil extraction. Gas flaring, frequent oil spills, and biomass burning have created a particulate matter (PM) pollution crisis, yet the specific impacts on birth defects remain unquantified in this region. This mixed-methods study investigates PM pollution's association with congenital anomalies through questionnaires administered to 100 participants (30 healthcare providers and 70 high-risk residents including pregnant women, mothers, farmers, and traders), supplemented by proxy environmental data from neighboring industrial zones. Findings reveal open waste dumping (80% prevalence) and biomass burning (70%) as dominant pollution sources. Alarmingly, proxy data shows PM₂.₅ concentrations (45–65 µg/m³) exceeded WHO limits by 9–13 times, while mercury in water (0.03–0.06 mg/L) surpassed safety thresholds by 30–60 times. These pollutants correlated strongly with respiratory illnesses (55%), skin rashes (60%), and birth defects (15% prevalence, including cleft lip/palate and neural tube defects). Socioeconomic vulnerability exacerbated risks: 50% of households earned