WASTE and pollution watchdog EcoWaste Coalition has expressed support for a bill banning the manufacture, sale and use of all firecrackers to prevent more accidents from occurring especially during the New Year revelry.

Ecowaste, in expressing support for Senate Bill (SB) 2119 filed by Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., said firecrackers emit the same toxic chemicals as smoke-belching vehicles, significantly increasing the level of deadly gases and particulates in the atmosphere.

Pimentel has said “no amount of safety reminders from health and law enforcement authorities can prevent accidents from occurring when revelers handle firecrackers or pyrotechnics because of their highly perilous nature.”

A World Bank study released in 2007 estimates that there are nearly 5,000 premature deaths in Metro Manila alone due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases from exposure to poor air quality.

Pollution

Costs associated with treating reported diseases attributed to air pollution amount to P962 million per year, with an additional P6.7 billion in lost income for air pollution-related deaths due to pneumonia in children and cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer in adults.

The EcoWaste Coalition said government should aim for zero injury, death and pollution from firecrackers. It said firecrackers are toxic to humans, animals and the environment.

Toxic

The pollution watchdog earlier launched an “Iwas PapuTOXIC” drive, stressing that firecrackers cause not only noise pollution but also toxic smoke and litter that can endanger human and animal health and the environment.
In lieu of firecrackers, students from Claret School created “emission-free, zero waste” sounds from tambourine made from bottle caps, maracas from tin cans, cymbals using pot lids and shakers from plastic bottles, juice packs, soap and toothpaste boxes filled with seeds, coins and pebbles.
Burning money
Roy Alvarez, vice president of the EcoWaste Coalition, said “lighting firecrackers is literally burning hard-earned money away, while putting the safety and health of the people and animals around us at grave risk.”

Alvarez said centralized pyrotechnic display does not solve the pollution problem and is just pouring money down the drain.

He proposed that public funds earmarked for fireworks be used to buy books for school libraries, build more classrooms, and set up community recycling facilities. (Sunnex)

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(December 29, 2008 issue)
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