The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN physician on Friday called for an "urgent" resolution to the recurrent fires that have plagued the New Providence landfill, charging that residents inhaling "God knows what" on a consistent basis can "gravely" affect their susceptibility to developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders in the long term. 

Dr Arlington Lightbourne, owner of the Nassau Wellness Clinic, told The Tribune that he is "very concerned" about the effects the recurrent dump fires can have and in some cases has had on residents in the nearby communities, claiming that air pollution of this kind is "a huge risk factor" for cancer and other chronic disorders. 

He noted that the recurrent fires pose a "particular" risk to children and the elderly as he said those individuals have "diminished lung functions".

Dr Lightbourne also expressed concerns over the various carcinogens that may be contained in the smoke emanating from the site during a fire, adding that because "we don't know what's burning" there is no real way "to say what's going to happen in 10 to 15 years and what happens when somebody is diagnosed with some cancer that is likely linked to the recurrent exposure" to the fires. 

He called for government officials to either move residents from communities affected the most by the fires, relocate the dump, or "change the way we manage the dump".

On Sunday, a massive blaze broke out at the Harold Road site, blanketing nearby communities such as Jubilee Gardens in thick, black hazardous smoke and forcing residents in that community to evacuate their homes. 

Asides from the immediate threat Sunday's fire posed to residents however, Dr Lightbourne lamented the affects the toxic makeup of the smoke emanating from the dump site could have on those inhaling it, particularly for an extended period of time. 

As previously noted by local senior physicians, because all manner of waste is deposited on the dump - medical, agricultural, industrial and domestic and otherwise - residents are likely have no idea exactly what they are inhaling when the dump begins to burn. 

"I've been saying there are obviously short-term implications associated with increased risk of respiratory conditions and aggravation of respiratory conditions such as asthma," Dr Lightbourne said. "There is obviously the risk of developing chronic obstructive disorders. 

"But there's a particular risk to children and the elderly who have diminished lung functions, people who are sick in general who obviously have diminished lung functions. 

"My greatest concerns though are the long-term implications because we don't know what's burning. We take 25,000 breaths in a 24-hour period and you're being exposed to God knows what in that time. And who's to say what's going to happen in 10 to 15 years and what happens when somebody is diagnosed with some cancer that is likely linked to the recurrent exposure to the carcinogens in that dump, because it's not like its a one-time thing. 

He added: "This is a recurrent problem. And children and the elderly and anybody in that nearby vicinity are going to be gravely affected by it. Not everybody in the same way but there's no doubt indoor air pollution, air pollution in general is a huge risk factor for cancers amongst other things. So it's something that the community needs to be very concerned about. 

"We either need to move the people from the community, we need to move the dump or we need to change the way we manage the dump. But something has to be done urgently. To me it's one of the biggest issues affecting this country right now." 

Dr Lightbourne also told The Tribune that he has seen patients expressing health concerns due to the dump fires, adding to his apprehension to the effects of the recurrent blazes. 

"Of course, people are concerned about their health, and we do get patients who present with symptoms related to smoke inhalation and toxic inhalation and people who are just generally concerned about the long term implications of these issues on their health, especially on their children," he said. 

"We've had a few patients that have come and said some things and expressed that they were ill again. Not a very large number, but we've had some people. And again my concern is for the immediate effect but mostly for long term effects, and that's what concerns me as a physician."

When asked to give a list of some illnesses and/or ailments persons may begin to experience as a result of continue smoke inhalation, Dr Lightbourne said: "The main ones there are things like adult onset asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders like emphysema and chronic bronchitis and cancers. Cancers of the throat and the lung. Something called pulmonary fibrosis which is essentially scarring of the lung tissue because of exposure to something that's causing inflammation to the lungs, like smoke, like heat. 

"These are all possible evidenced-based complications that can be linked to these fires." 

On Wednesday, Environment Minister Kendred Dorsett said there is no definite date set for when Jubilee Gardens residents will be able to return to their homes. Initially, officials said people would have to wait five to seven days.