The Tribune

A LOCAL doctor has expressed concern over recurrent fires at the New Providence landfill and the health problems subsequent smoke can have on area residents.

The concern comes after a massive fire erupted at the dumpsite on Sunday night. Thick plumes of black smoke wafted from the area on Monday, blanketing surrounding communities.

Renew Bahamas officials have said the latest fire was not at the actual landfill, but was started on an area the company has been using as a “temporary tipping area” to divert vehicles while they prepare the top of the actual landfill that was damaged from previous fires.

“This is so tragic that this is happening yet again,” said Dr Arlington Lightbourne, owner of the Nassau-based The Wellness Clinic.

“I am concerned about the people most affected: the elderly, the children and the sick. These are the people who are going to have the greatest impact. Repeated exposure to this smoke, which we don’t know what the contents are — [possible] carcinogens and heavy metals — there is no doubt in my mind that these people are going to have some long-term health issues,” he said in a press statement.

“This has been happening for years and it seems to be getting worse and not better,” Dr Lightbourne added.

According to a press release issued by environmental group Save The Bays, “burning trash creates dangerous toxic smoke.”

“This smoke has many tiny particles which can get deep into lungs, potentially increasing the risk of asthma, lung and heart disease, cancer, and other cardiovascular problems. According to the World Health Organization’s Bahamas statistical profile - based on information provided by the Bahamas health department - in 2013 the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 or 33 per cent of deaths was due to acute respiratory infections. In 2012, the number one cause of death in the Bahamas was Ischemic heart disease, with strokes, other forms of heart disease and respiratory infections making up three of the top six,” Save The Bays said in a statement.

“People are dying,” said Romi Ferreira, director of Save the Bays. “And you’ll have all hell trying to prove it was the fires. This is the issue.”

Mr Ferreira added that because everything goes into the dump – medical, agricultural, industrial and domestic waste - nobody has any idea what they are actually breathing in when these fires spew toxic fumes into the air for extended periods of time.

“The dump is not engineered properly,” Mr Ferreira said. “You have combustion going on, a production of methane, and there’s no segregation of waste. Once you get a spark, you’re burning methane. Methane can be vented to stop fires or can be used as energy. The city dump is not engineered for that. The built environment is not there, hence we have these fires from time to time.”

According to Mr Ferreira, a reengineering of the landfill would solve this issue, but with an estimated price tag landing in the range from $60 million to $80 million, this isn’t likely to happen any time soon.

“If the health of the people were a priority [to the government], then it would be a no-brainer,” Mr Ferreira said. “If you can improve the quality of life, why wouldn’t you?”