Nkechi Uduma
Medical experts in the state have urged the state government to look into the issue of black soot in Rivers state as this may pose serious health challenges for residents.
For nearly one year, Port Harcourt residents have continued to experience the atmospheric presence of black substances as a result of illegal bunkering by unknown hoodlums.
A medical expert, Dr.Enyioma Igboasoiyi, said the health implications of these soot may range from allergies, asmathic attacks to cancer as a result of continuous inhalation of these chemicals into the body.
“These soot can pose serious health problems in different angles, either they come in form of allergy or they go into the blood stream as a result of consuming organic foods that these substances may have touched.
“There are three set of people these soot can affect badly and they include: the elderly, children and people with respiratory tract infections.
“The elderly are already going through a level of health compromise because of their age, so when they get affected by the soot, it causes respiratory difficulty for them.
“The children are still in their development stage, so the continuous inhalation of these substances can make their respiratory systems to be under constant attack and before one knows it, respiratory diseases at a tender age follows.
“When it comes to those with respiratory problems like asthma,the inhalation of these substances would lead to continuous asthmatic attacks.” He said.
Dr. Igboasoiyi also called on state government to look into the issue as this may lead to serious environmental problems in the future.
“If this problem continues in the next 10 years, if nothing is done, we may not really like the outcome.
“The state/federal government need to do something fast because this is not an individual affair.
“A lot of government policies need to be put in place because there should be other ways to stop illegal bunkering other than setting the bunkering sites ablaze.
“More employment opportunities should be offered to youths in the state in order to reduce the level of crime.” He said.
