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THE HEALTH OF CITIZENS

Sep 06, 2008 Editorial

The university community is advisedly concerned about the safety of its environment before it gives the go-ahead for classes for the new academic year to begin. Earlier this year the University of Guyana removed large amounts of asbestos from many of the buildings on campus. This was in keeping with a pattern to have the asbestos removed from public educational buildings because asbestos, it is believed, could cause cancers.
While the university community is justifiably concerned about ensuring that both students and staff at the university have a desired level of comfort; that there are no contaminants in the air, on walls or on floors following the expensive removal process, it is extremely distressing that other public authorities are not as concerned over the manner in which the asbestos has been disposed of near to residential areas.
It is now public knowledge that the asbestos which was removed from the University of Guyana has been dumped into a pit at the Mandela Avenue dumpsite which is encircled by highly populated residential areas. It is also public knowledge that this particular dumpsite should have been closed a long time ago. More importantly, there are a number of individuals who operate within the dumpsite without the sort of protective gear to secure them against the inhalation of asbestos fibres.
These spread of these fibres and its inhalation into the human body has long been suspected to be the cause of some forms of cancers, especially on the lungs and the membranes lining the lungs and abdomen. The inhalation of the fibers, which are very resistant to fires, can cause them to become lodged in the body, eventually exposing the victim to scarring and inflammation, with possible cacogenic effects.
With the Mandela Avenue dumpsite being subject to spontaneous fires, and with these fires spewing smog into surrounding communities for days, there are grave health risks, which are further exacerbated by the disposal of asbestos material at that location.
The Georgetown Municipality which has responsibility for the dumpsite has offered free health checks to residents who may have been affected by the smoke and pollution that emanates from the dumpsite. We do not know what comfort such a health check will be if in fact cancer-causing fibres from the disposed asbestos have found their way into the air.
We believe that it was a bad decision for the asbestos from the University of Guyana to have been dumped at the Mandela Avenue dumpsite.  Given the money that was spent in the removal process, we believe greater care should have been taken to ensure that the removed asbestos was disposed of away from all human habitation.
We also believe that the dumpsite should in the public interest be closed since it has outlived its capacity. We believe that this dumpsite now constitutes a major risk given the regular fires that occur there.
The university community we believe will ensure that the university is only opened after it is satisfied that there are no contaminants. In the same vein we believe that the government of Guyana has a responsibility to ensure that the asbestos has been disposed of in a manner which poses no risk to human life.
There are many persons who are not so convinced, given the state of the Mandela Avenue dumpsite. We urge that the degree of concern that is being shown to the university community should be extended to the residents likely to be affected by the emissions from the dumpsite. The health of our citizens should in this instance be our number one priority.

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