Unless urgent steps are taken, about six million residents of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, risk lung cancer as a result of the impact of black soot.
A Consultant Surgeon at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, Dr Furo Green, who raised the alarm in an interview with NDV, decried the impact of the black soot, saying that six million Rivers people were at the risk of cancer over the hydrocarbon.
Similarly, a consultant surgeon and the deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Special Projects and Linkages University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Dr. Ochele Emmanuel, confirmed that the hydrocarbons were capable of causing cancer.
However, the Rivers State Government, had reportedly shut down three companies in the state for allegedly operating machines that emit high magnitude of hydrocarbon into the atmosphere.
One of the residents, identified as Mrs. Chika Chibuike, says, “I am aware of the black soot, before you wake in the morning, you will see black stains in your room.
If you use a white cloth to clean the chairs or the television, it will be as if you cleaned charcoal. The thing is happening every day. When you clean your nose, you will also notice that youR nose is black.
I heard that it can cause cancer but God is protecting me and my family. Although I am afraid of that, so I try as much to cover our food and close the windows.”
Dr Green asserted that currently in the state, many people were at the risk of developing cancer of the lung and other respiratory problems following prolong exposure to the black soot caused by hydrocarbon, urging the federal government to monitor the activities of multinational companies that are into hydrocarbon processing.
Green said: “We all suddenly noticed an increase in discharge of black powdery matter in the environment, which the Ministry of Environment has narrowed to hydrocarbon.
The implication of inhaling these hydrocarbon particles is that it can lead to acute inflammation of the airways, which can precipitate to hyper stimulation of the airway and actually precipitate asthmatic attack in individuals, who are predisposed to asthma.
“And over a long period of time it can precipitate chronic obstruction of the airways, which we refer to as chronic bronchitis.
So when this condition goes on for a long time, it results to chronic respiratory conditions that can end up as malignancy or even kill the individual.
The figure of people affected by this might even be larger than six million because other neighbouring states are also experiencing the soot, and even recently parts of Lagos State have been reported to also experience it.”
Green stated: “Hydrocarbons after prolong exposure can predispose to cancer, especially of the lung, because that is the area where it is settled, but there are other long lasting conditions that may arise from hydrocarbon poison, such as infertility as demonstrated by Prof Georgewill of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, where he was able to demonstrate that fertility is significantly affected by hydrocarbon poisoning.
“But in children, the effect can be unpredictable, a child that is very normal now could actually develop an acute respiratory problem, meaning that a child, who has never had asthma, can actually precipitate to one, and if care is not taken the child could die from asphyxia. So the effects of these particles are more pronounced in children right now, but over a period of time, it will lead to lung condition.”
Dr. Green advised: “Wash your hands as often as possible because even where you wash your hands, you will see that the lather of the soap itself is black. Children should be protected, close your windows, wash your fruits and cover your food to reduce the loads of these hydrocarbons.
No comments:
Post a Comment