Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Group warns against open burning
BEWARE, burning trash releases health damaging air toxins, contaminates the environment and food supply, and causes fires.
As the nation observes the Fire Prevention Month, the Ecological Waste Coalition makes a public appeal to halt the toxic practice of burning discards.
Although listed as a punishable offense under Section 48 of the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, the open burning of waste still goes on unabated.
The Coalition cites four reasons why open burning is unhealthy, un-neighborly and unnecessary:
1. Open burning damages health. Every time waste is burned, harmful pollutants, including cancer-causing dioxins, are released into the air and the remaining ash contains toxic residue. Inhaling or ingesting toxins from open burning will have serious health implications. Short-term exposure can cause eye, nose, throat, and skin irritations, lung congestion, shortness of breathing and coughing. Long-term exposure can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, respiratory ailments, reproductive disorders and developmental problems.
2. Open burning trashes the environment. Burning destroys valuable resources such as paper, cardboard, organics and other materials, which could have been reused or cycled back into nature or commerce. Factories produce heaps of waste when making new products. It makes a lot of sense to reuse and recycle more to conserve our diminishing resources, save precious energy and reduce pollution. Also, polluting human activities, including the clearing and burning of vegetation, are increasing the amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which is causing global climate change.
3. Open burning contaminates the food supply. Chemicals released when discards are burned, particularly the notoriously toxic dioxins, are also deposited on leafy plants that are eaten by livestock. Dioxin builds up in animal fat and is passed through meat and dairy products to humans. In the food chain, dioxins can escalate to levels that are harmful to human health.
4. Open burning causes fires. Especially during the summer period, open burning can cause residential, forest and brush fires, endangering the life and health of humans and animals.
The Ecowaste Coalition offers twelve ecological practices to eliminate open burning and save ourselves from poisoned air:
* Shop wisely, consume responsibly, reduce your waste size.
* Carry reusable bags, refuse single-use plastics, go for reusable containers.
* Demand less wrapping on products you buy.
* Choose recyclable products and containers and recycle them.
* Avoid buying disposable items, buy durable and repairable products.
* Whenever available, select products made from recycled materials and use second-hand or repaired products.
* Go for non-toxic products which are safer to use, store and recycle.
* Segregate - don't mix your discards.
* Whenever possible, reuse, recycle and repair things rather than throw or replace them.
* Give away unwanted stuff to neighbors or charities.
* Turn your biodegradable waste into compost to nourish the earth.
* Inform and educate those who burn their discards about its hazards and problems, and persuade them to switch to ecofriendly practices.
Says Marie Marciano of the Ecowaste Coalition and the environmental group Salika,
"Unless you relish breathing poisoned air, do not walk past open burning in your neighborhood or elsewhere without trying to put out the fire - permanently - by educating the culprits about dioxin and its harmful effects on everyone's health. If that doesn't work, talking authoritatively about the law against open burning and the penalties for the offense usually does."
Among the many toxic chemicals released from waste burning, including burning of dumpsites, dioxin is the key concern. Described as the most toxic substance known to science, dioxin, a potent human carcinogen, has the capability to cause a range of adverse health effects in animals and people.
The Stockholm Convention, which the Philippines ratified in February 2004, aims to ultimately eliminate Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to protect human health and the environment. The global treaty initially targets 12 POPs for priority action, including dioxins.
Other pollutants in the resulting smoke, soot and ash from open burning include volatile organic compounds, particulate matters, halogenated hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and heavy metals such as arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury.
For more information, please contact Manny C. Calonzo, Secretary, Ecowaste Coalition at 9290376.
(March 8, 2006 issue)
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