Air scare - Your child may be at risk
Published:Tuesday | July 13, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Laura Redpath, Senior Staff Reporter
Tests conducted by an environmental assessment company have revealed that children in some Corporate Area schools are being exposed to air pollutants which cause learning disabilities and upper respiratory illnesses.
Air pollutants from environmental triggers such as vehicular and industrial emissions, burning garbage and roadside dust, among others, are measured as solid particulates. The worldwide standard measurement of particulates, used by the National Environment and Planning Agency, is no more than 150 parts per million (ppm).
However, tests carried out at schools earlier this year showed four out of 10 urban schools in Liguanea and downtown Kingston with higher particulate concentrations than the standard 150ppm.
Two of these schools had concentrations over 1,000ppm, one of which was near 3,000.
"You can imagine how this affects children's health," said Sharonmae Shirley, director of environmental services at Environmental Solutions.
The air assessment team is waiting on the results from the remaining six institutions.
Concerned for children
Dr Terry Baker, senior medical officer at the National Chest Hospital, said he was concerned for children who are constantly exposed to pollutants, especially toxic car emissions, as they predispose them to illnesses.
"We need to be aware of the risks. We need to put the proper measures into place so that (air pollution) doesn't get any worse," Baker said.
While carrying out tests, Rashidah Khan-Haqq, environmental chemist, said monitors that measure very fine particulate matter stopped working within 15 minutes, despite their usual capacity to run for eight hours.
The filters inside these machines were "totally saturated with particulates. That's really, really, really alarming".
She added: "We have kids being exposed to very fine particulate matter. The (particulates) are small enough to pass through the alveoli (in the lungs) to get into the bloodstream. Studies are showing particulate matter in the bloodstream can have very serious adverse health effects," Khan-Haqq said.
The brain, the organ which consumes the most oxygen, if starved for merely three minutes may sustain irreversible damage, according to BiomedME, a research company rooted in medical technology.
The company's website states that air pollutants cause inflammation and "abnormal protein deposits" in brain tissue, decrease oxygen supply, and turn on genes that can lead to brain tumours.
The Kiwanis Club of New Kingston, which partnered with Environmental Solutions, presented the education and health ministries with an educational video, which outlines the air-quality results and scenarios in schools.
The video also documents stories from students who live with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Education Minister Andrew Holness described the video presentation as an "eye-opener".
"We intend to pass this on to the construction services within the Ministry of Education. It is a very important point that schools are built near roads, but another point which came out is trees and natural shrubbery act as a filter and schools don't have enough of that," he said.
Health Minister Rudyard Spencer said his ministry had an interest in tackling poor air quality.
"It requires collaboration and we will be collaborating with Minister Holness," Spencer declared.
The Kiwanis Environmental Health and Learning Initiative was started by past President Yvonne Crawford six years ago, and has been continued by current president, Suzanne Leslie-Bailey.