‘BURNING’HEALTH ISSUE OF OLUSOSUN DUMP SITE

The fire outbreak at the Olusosun dump site is a wake-up call, write and

For the last two decades, the residents of Olusosun area in Ojota, Lagos have had a unique neighbour. They had become accustomed and even familiar with the 100-acre spread inhabited by sub-Saharan Africa’s largest single formal collection of discarded and recyclable material, the Olusosun dumpsite. This dumpsite has been described as many things and has even been the “star” of its own three-part BBC documentary where it was shown to be a source of livelihood for many and a pathway to success stories. The presence of dump sites is one of the challenges of many growing megacities and a price Lagosians have to pay for the ongoing urbanisation of our city.

The site has been burning for two months now. The fire started on the evening of March 14th 2018 and many of the “residents” did not worry as small flares were not uncommon and were usually self-limiting. However, this fire persisted and gathered momentum leading to explosions that engulfed buildings and vehicles in the vicinity. On March 15, 2018, the Lagos State Ministry for the Environment issued a statement as to the cause of the fire:

…the fire which emitted thick smoke from the Olusosun dumpsite on Wednesday as the natural outcome of trapped gasses from the waste escaping to cause combustion, a situation which occurs occasionally in dumpsites. Culled from: LASG EXPLAINS DUMPSITE SMOKE. Available at: https://lagosstate.gov.ng/blog/2018/03/15/lasg-explainsdumpsite-smoke/

The Lagos State fire service attempted putting out the fire but their efforts further complicated the fire by engaging (jumping and nesting) more methane pockets and perpetuating the fire. This led to a thick wall of smoke that has blanketed the Lagos- Ibadan expressway and its environs including Ojota, Ketu, Magodo, Alausa, Oregun and Ikeja.

As concerned health professionals, we want to bring to the fore the immediate and potential long term adverse health implications of this event that has polluted our shared environment.

Without a fire, an open dumpsite as Olusosun poses substantial health and environmental risks. The decomposing materials produce a liquid (leachates) which seeps into the ground and can contaminate both surface waters and deep waters. It can also contaminate the soil and eventually finds its way into the food chain and drinking water sources. Decomposing materials also produce gases such as the highly flammable methane (as implicated in this fire) which contributes to global warming. The global warming effect of methane is 21 times that of carbon dioxide.

Now when dump sites burn as in our current situation, there is emission of toxic substances into the atmosphere from the burning of plastics and other materials. The toxic fumes usually increase the concentration of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, heavy metals (mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium, etc.), dioxins, furans, and particulate matter. These toxins are harmful to health with immediate and remote adverse health consequences. These immediate health effects have been confirmed by reports of increase in the frequency of asthma attacks and hospital visits from respiratory symptoms among persons who reside and work in communities within the vicinity of the dumpsite. But even more worrisome is the surreptitious medium to long term adverse impact of these toxins on the wider population.

One of the most harmful pollutants released during open burning of waste is dioxin. Dioxin is known to cause cancer and is associated with birth defects. The heavy metals released cause low blood levels, kidney failure, liver cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Burning dumpsites also release hexchlorobenzene which is a highly persistent toxin that degrades slowly in the air. Therefore, it can travel long distances in the atmosphere and bio-accumulates in fish, marine animals, birds, lichens, and animals that feed on fish and lichens. It is a probable human carcinogen and can also damage the unborn child.

The visible smoke from burning which we saw hovering over Olusosun and its environs for nearly two months is composed of tiny toxic particles (particulates). When inhaled, these microscopic particles can reach deep into the lungs and remain there for months or even years. Breathing particulates increases the chances of respiratory infection, can trigger asthma attacks, and causes other problems such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Black carbon, a component of particulate matter is an important contributor to global warming and has been reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to cause changes in health including premature death from any cause, including death from heart disease and respiratory disease even with short term exposures. Carbon monoxide that is also generated from the burning waste is a colourless, odourless gas that prevents oxygen from being absorbed by the blood and lungs. It is especially dangerous when inhaled by young children with immature lungs, the elderly, and people with chronic heart conditions or lung diseases.

The implication of this Olusosun fire is that large population of Lagosians are now exposed to high levels of health damaging pollutants and are at risk of adverse health outcomes. We recognise that in addition to the ongoing pollution burden of the city of Lagos caused by daily movements and heavy traffic, Lagosians are now in the middle of a severe yet silent health crises, the implications of which portend public health and economic disaster. The WHO reports that air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health and recommends air quality guideline levels for safe cities. The WHO also recognises that most sources of urban outdoor air pollution are well beyond the control of individuals and demand action by cities, as well as national and international policymakers to promote cleaner transport, more efficient energy production and waste management.

We are aware that the Lagos State Government has declared the Olusosun dump site closed and currently in the process of covering the dump with laterite. In addition to this, another priority should be to take active, strategic and well-designed steps to address the adverse health effects of this sizeable population now at risk. Persons who live and work around Olusosun are likely to be at highest risk from this exposure. These persons need to be identified, relocated, evaluated for the immediate effects and followed up for the medium and long-term health impacts. Trends in clinical presentations from hospital data across the vicinity should be assessed for epidemiological mapping of potential diseases from this exposure. Active steps and policies to reduce all sources of ambient air pollution also need to be addressed. Dr Ozoh is a Pulmonologist at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos while Dr Solebo is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in International Child Health at the Research and Innovation Unit of the University of Lagos