The office of the Honourable comissioner at the Ministry of Environment in Rivers state has issued a press statement on the sudden occurence and Unexplained appearance of black soot on roof tops, cars, road and homes in portharcourt and its environs

 

In a press release, the government advised the public not to panic as it had duly dispatched its officials to different locations in the state to monitor and locate the source of the black soot for prompt action

 

The press release continues: It is apparently obvious that the state government cannot decontaminate the airspace but it can put a stop to this pollution if the source of the soot is located. Consequently, the public is hereby urged to complement the effort of the state government by assisting to look out for the source of this strange soot and report the location to the government through these dedicated telephone lines, 08033095142, 08036621345, 08037503473. 

 

Residents of portharcourt who spoke with a Medicalworld Nigeria correspondent expressed fear on the unforseen health implications of these soots being inhaled on a daily basis. Another mother expressed worries as she informed our correspondent that each time she cleans her two month old babys nose with cotton buds it is always heavily stained with black soot, she also noted that she had to mop her house daily as the soot just doesnt seem to stop filtering into the house through open doors and windows.

 

 

A public health Nurse Jenifer emelue who spoke with our correspondent raised alarm on what she perceived was a slow response of the government and a failure to declare an emergency and urgency on the issue until the source is found.

 

According to Nurse Jenifer, soot sounds so simple and harmless but it is infact anything but simple and is certainly not harmless. Soot includes fine black particles, chiefly composed of carbon produced by incomplete combustion of coal, oil, wood or other fuels and are extremely tiny - 2.5micrometers or smaller in diameter. 

 

She added that compounds from soot - sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides - combine with moisture to form acid rain, which worsens water quality, damages soil and crops, and changes nutrient balances in various ecosystems. Breathing the tiny particles can cause coronary heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, and many other respiratory illnesses. 

 

Nurse Jennifer queried if Nigeria had a clean air Act and an allowable limits for soot emissions. Currently in the U.S, the limit is 15 μg/m3, but the EPA proposes to change it to between 12 and 13 by 2020.