Review of Environmental and Public Health Impact of Automobile Wastes and Automobile Transportation in Nigeria

Automobiles are machines designed for transportation; it is a self-propelled vehicle with power source for its propulsion and is used for transporting. Most vehicles imported into Nigeria are rickety and are mostly out of use, and since there is no regulation with regard to quality and quantity of vehicles to be imported coupled with lack of technology to deal with automobile waste, large volumes of automobile waste dot the Nigerian landscape. Negative environmental and public health issues of automobile waste and automobile transportation result from the fact that its several components (metals, metalloids, polymers, etc.) on decomposition or expiration release toxic substances such as phenols (C6H5OH), benzene (C6H6), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and so on into the environment, while on operation, automobiles are the most significant source of air pollution as unburnt diesel releases particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), oxides of carbon, oxides of nitrogen, oxides of sulfur, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), smoke, soot and ash particles, metal oxides, as well as nitrate and sulfate groups. The aim of this work is to explore and draw out salient points from previous literature with regard to detrimental environmental and public health issues of automobile wastes and automobile transportation.