Ontving gisteren een petitie van het Care2 team. In deze petitie wordt de deelstaatregering van River State (Nigeria) opgeroepen eindelijk wat aan de al een paar jaar voortdurende enorme luchtvervuiling te doen.

Mensen worden ‘s morgens wakker en vinden veel van hun spullen onder een laag roet…… Uiteraard zorgt de luchtvervuiling die dit veroorzaakt, ook nog eens voor een aantal aandoeningen zoals kanker……. Organen als hart, longen, nieren en lever raken beschadigt door deze troep.

Hieronder eerst een bericht van ‘Medium‘ over deze zaak, daarna de petitie van Care2. Lees ook de petitie (via o.a. deze link) en teken deze ajb; geeft het door!

Black
Soot in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria: “The Danger that
Lurks” Behind the Black Particles

According
to the Press Release purportedly issued by the Rivers State
government dated December 8, 2016, it has been brought to the
attention of the Rivers State government the “appearance of strange
black soot deposits noticeably seen on cars and rooftops in our
environment especially in Port Harcourt and its environs.” The
Press Release further stated “that it is apparently obvious that
the [Rivers] state government cannot decontaminate the airspace but
it can put a stop to the pollution if the source of the soot is
located.”

Sources
of particulate matter, which can manifest as black soot, include
diesel trucks, plants powered by coal/industrial operations,
wood-burning stoves (USEPA, 1997). Exposure to black soot can
severely impact human health causing premature death, severe asthma,
breathing and other respiratory problems, cancer and birth defects
(USEPA, 2016). Black soot or “black carbon”, a “harmful air
pollutant”, can also contribute to global warming (Sierra Club,
n.d.). According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer,
“there is sufficient evidence in experimental animals for the
carcinogenicity of black carbon”(IARC, 1996), i.e. black carbon can
cause cancer.

Time
is of the essence for the Rivers state government to spare no efforts
to find the source of the black soot pollution in the Port Harcourt
area and to use appropriate technologies to, yes, clean up the soot
contamination and “decontaminate the airspace”.

For
the longer term, “prevention is better than cure”. To ensure a
sustainable environment and foster sustainable development in Rivers
state, the Rivers state government should develop effective laws and
regulations to prevent pollution in any form, including air
pollution, AND enforce such laws and regulations. The polluter pays
principle should be the bedrock of environmental legislation not only
in Rivers State but in Nigeria. 

The primary role of government is to
ensure the security and welfare of the people (Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999). It is not unreasonable to state
that the security of a person may be threatened by poor health. The
Rivers state government must protect every person in Rivers state,
young and old, rich and poor, from the danger that lurks behind the
black soot particles. All breathe the same air as air contaminants do
not distinguish between the rich and the poor, young and old,
government officials and non-government workers. To whom much is
given, much more is required.

Help
End Air Poisoning in the Rivers State Community!

People
in Rivers State, Nigeria wake up every morning to find black
soot covering everything from their food and furniture to their cars
and the trees outside. It
seems as though the entire community is coated with a fine dust that
seeps into everything.

Residents
of the state have started a Care2 petition, imploring the global
community to help them stop the pollution that is showering down on
them. Will
you add your voice to their cause?

The
soot may look like just a freaky occurrence, but its implications are
deadly real. Air pollution is poisoning the people of the town.
Everyone is affected — the elderly, children, mothers, fathers,
common citizens, and even government workers. Soot
is dangerous and can cause premature deaths, asthma attacks, lung
diseases and rise in cancer. No
one is immune.

That’s
why the community there is reaching out to us. In order to make sure
the government takes them seriously and gets involved immediately, we
will have to act together to bring international attention to this
public health catastrophe.

The
people of Rivers State have asked for our help. Please stand with
them and sign their petition.

Thank
you,

Miranda B.

The Care2 Petitions Team.