EDITORIAL: No to backyard burning in 2020
AS we move closer and closer towards the end of the year 2019 and look towards what we hope will be a promising 2020, there are some negatives we need to leave behind and one of these is the age-old practice of indiscriminate burning of refuse in communities across Barbados, what some also call backyard burning.
The act of indiscriminate burning produces dioxins, which are potent toxicants with the potential to produce a broad spectrum of adverse effects in humans. It also produces particle pollution, which sees microscopic particles released by open burning, that are small enough to get into the lungs and can cause numerous health problems. Also, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a problematic group of chemicals commonly found in particulate matter, or smoke and soot, released from backyard burning. Some PAHs are cancer-causing.
There is also the issue of volatile organic compounds, produced by open burning. Many VOCs are harmful to humans. They also contribute to ground-level ozone pollution, also known as smog, which can worsen respiratory, heart, and other existing health problems. Inhaling certain VOCs can lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation; headache; loss of co-ordination; nausea; and damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Then there is carbon monoxide, another major pollutant generated which can cause neurological symptoms including headache, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Finally, there is the issue of ash residue, which can contain toxic metals such as mercury, lead, chromium and arsenic.
Nevertheless, in spite of all this information, some Barbadians persist in burning their garbage in the open and this practice has been made worse of late, given the horrendous garbage collection issues the island now faces. However, this matter of indiscriminate burning, which is an age-old practice, needs to be stamped out in a modern society like Barbados, due to the ramifications that come with the practice.
Given the fact that persons are placing just about anything into their bonfires – from plastics, to tires, to aerosol cans, to tree trimmings and branches and the list goes on – it is clear that backyard burning can be detrimental to nearby residents, as it lingers in homes and in the surrounding atmosphere. Thus, greater action must be taken to address the matter by our elected Government.
The local Environmental Protection Department (EPD) should also be given some teeth to address the matter, along with the Barbados Fire Service, which by the way, has also called for the bad practice to be stamped out. Where a citizen in any neighbourhood is not compliant with the laws of the land, which should be amended also to tackle this matter, the Royal Barbados Police Force should then get involved. Hence, we should have some law or ordinance or even a full out ban to address the matter of backyard burning in Barbados.
We cannot move into the year 2020 advocating and pushing modern practices in our various other spheres of endeavours and even moving to have other environmental matters addressed, such as was seen with the ban on plastics and neglect such a far-reaching, troublesome area for many citizens in local communities. So we say no to backyard burning in 2020.