A new citizen-led study has revealed high levels of air pollution in communities hosting waste incineration facilities across three countries in the Global South.
The communities are Ogijo in Nigeria, Dumaguete in the Philippines, and Surabaya in Indonesia.
The study found Particulate Matter concentrations to be up to eight times higher than the World Health Organisation safety guidelines.
The findings were disclosed in a statement issued by Carissa Marnce, Africa Communications Coordinator for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternative.
The statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos, disclosed that air quality monitoring project was launched in response to lack of oversight by local governments and environmental agencies regarding pollution levels of waste incineration facilities.
It said that local communities were calling for stricter environmental regulations, greater transparency and, in some cases, complete shutdowns of the facilities.
“People are coughing, struggling to breathe and living in fear of what they can’t see but can certainly feel.
“This is not just unfair, it is dangerous.
“We urgently call on governments to cancel these waste-to-energy projects and start listening to the people who are paying the price with their lungs,” said Wahyu Styawan of WALHI East Java, Indonesia.
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Three GAIA members coordinated the study – War on Waste in the Philippines, Green Knowledge Foundation in Nigeria, and WALHI in Indonesia.
It used both portable and stationary air quality monitors to track PM2.5 and PM10 levels in areas surrounding incinerator facilities.
The statement enumerated key findings of the study to include that PM2.5 levels were unhealthy, at 88 per cent, reaching up to seven times the WHO guideline, at Dumaguete, Philippines, near a pyrolysis-gasification unit.
It said that an estimated 179 premature deaths annually could be prevented if the facility would be shut down.
According to the statement, the findings show that at Surabaya, Indonesia, near the Benowo Waste-to-Energy plant, PM2.5 exceeded WHO limits by 100 per cent during a 31-day monitoring period.
It added that the levels peaked at eight times higher than recommended.
It said that no single day of the study registered a healthy air quality.
It said that the study showed that at Ogijo, Nigeria, near Tec High Profile Nig. Ltd., a company claiming to recycle tyres, PM2.5 concentrations were five times higher than WHO guidelines during a 23 day- monitoring.
According to the statement, PM, particularly PM2.5, is classified as a carcinogen by WHO.
It said that due to their microscopic size, PM particles could penetrate deep into human organs and cause asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer.
It said that most of the monitoring was conducted near vulnerable sites such as schools, retirement homes, residential areas, markets, and farms, underscoring immediate health risks to children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions.
It quoted Dr Jorge Emmanuel, a scientist supporting the monitoring efforts, as saying that the community-driven findings provided undeniable evidence of toxic exposure and must compel regulatory agencies to act.
The study also raised questions about the global waste trade and the export of harmful waste-to-energy technologies to developing countries.
“Many incineration projects in the Global South are funded by international financial institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, despite evidence of health and environmental risks,” the statement said.
It quoted Weyinmi Okotie, GAIA African Clean Air Programme Manager and Executive Director of the Green Knowledge Foundation, as saying that climate finance should stop supporting false solutions.
“Instead, it should fund sustainable alternatives that create jobs, restore ecosystems and protect community health,” the statement quoted Okotie as saying.
NAN
