HI All
We have started placing photos of the
Burning at Pomona Quarry on our
Facebook page – see them on
bambazonke nhasi
If anyone has taken any other photos today please send to Leanna leannatbamba@gmail.com so that she can
post them and let readers know what the current situation is there
We have already had our first $100
contribution from one of our readers – FX Logistics – and a few comments
I Have spoken to Mr Chibanda from the
City Council just now and he is out there trying to work out to sort things out
expeditiously. The army has apparently send a bulldozer there now but they
ideally need about 3
Lets make this happen today
Regards
Mike
Readers Comments: On Monday managed to get 10 proper
masks donated by James North for the workers who are right on site trying to
control the burning. MM delivered on site, arranged closer water source
with private resident for the trucks to refill and also approached graders on
side of the Road to assist with moving dumped sand on site….I will always
remember when the floods hit Brisbane 80 000 people and their trucks machinery
etc. came to the rescue. May everyone in our City work together to Help
the Council with this disaster. Kind regards Sharon
………..
Just dropped the first hundred off from our company
now... my son has been sent home from school with headache and nausea
today and we live on Northwood Rise. I am sure it is all related!! I hope you
get more funds in to get this out as even I am struggling to breathe, so
the old and young will be effected much more. I have asked all my friends on FB
to ask their companies to see if we can help you sort out this problem.
Once again
I was horrified when I went for my morning exercise on Sunday and saw - from a
considerable distance - a cloud so big it looked like Harare was under attack.
Pomona dump is on fire and this is a major 'Air-Pocalypse' event. The swathe of
toxic airborne matter from the fire was travelling in a south westerly
direction over Alex Park and Avondale towards the city centre.
I have said
much about the hazards of burning leaves, but allow me to remind everyone how
serious burning non-organic waste is. (This is also to the person who commented
on my last letter that burning rubbish is better than having it littering the
roadsides).
Burning plastics which
contain organochlorines such as PVC releases dioxins. Dioxins disrupt
hormones in the body, and are extremely carcinogenic causing cancer, deformed
offspring, reproductive failures, and auto-immune diseases. After release into the atmosphere they settle on crops and
in our waterways. They are
persistent, and last for years. In the body they accumulate in body fat and can be passed
onto the unborn foetus. They accumulate in animals at the top of the
food chain: i.e. humans!
The burning of polystyrene polymers - such
as foam cups, meat trays, egg containers, yogurt and deli containers, releases
styrene. Styrene gas can readily be absorbed through the skin and lungs. At high levels styrene vapor can damage the eyes and mucous
membranes. Long term exposure to styrene can affect the central nervous system,
causing headaches, fatigue, weakness, and depression.
Those are just two in the veritable soup
of toxic chemicals that would have been released in the fire from discarded
batteries, rubber tyres, etc.
The World
Health Organisation announced last week that it has been scientifically
validated that air pollution causes lung cancer - it is now considered more
dangerous than passive cigarette or cigar smoke.
It's high
time the authorities (police, fire, City Council, municipality, EMA) started
taking public health seriously and implement a zero tolerance policy for
environmental offenders. City management urgently needs to upgrade our waste
management policies, and carry out pollution awareness campaigns.
If you feel
upset about being gassed out of your home, go and register your complaint to
your local District Office, police station, fire station, or phone EMA on
792772 or 252087. The more noise we collectively make the quicker something
will get done.
Dr Lisa Marabini
BVSc, MRCVS
Director,
AWARE Trust
Cell: 0712
886650
……………….
Posts
