Chemical waste leads to cancer
The incidence of cancer is on the rise in Trinidad and Tobago and could be affecting as many as one in three people. As part of Guardian Media’s ongoing multimedia series Cleaning Up the Mess our guest columnist today is Steven Greenleaf, environmental consultant, a graduate of Berkeley and California State Universities. Greenleaf reminds us that the chemicals we release into the environment end up in our bodies and could be contributing to the ill health and early death of many of our citizens. We ignore the environment at our peril.
Steven Greenleaf
Published: 2 Sep 2010
Steven Greenleaf
The nation of Trinidad and Tobago is at a crucial point in its history. Social, political and cultural change is in the air. Now is the time for the country to take a new approach to how it cares for the environment. The health of the nation’s citizens, the health of the economy and the future prospects and opportunities available are all affected by how pollution is managed. Often people fail to realise the effects of pollution on their lives until it is too late.
Chemicals which we release into the environment frequently end up in our bodies, or our children’s bodies, sometimes before they have even left the womb. Many chemicals known to cause cancer or other profound health problems are known to “bioaccumulate,” meaning that they accumulate and concentrate in an organism. Bioaccumulation combines with another phenomenon called “biomagnification,” whereby certain substances such as pesticides or heavy metals work their way into water we drink or use to raise crops, move up the food chain, and then into the things we eat.
These toxic substances become more and more concentrated as they move through the environment and make their way to our bodies. What this means is that as we go through our daily lives, we are dangerously unaware that the small amounts of waste we leave behind, chemicals we use, and pollution we create are invisibly coming back to haunt us. Thousands of small, seemingly harmless sources of pollution are actually affecting us in ways we cannot predict.
When we dump waste, household trash which may contain a variety of chemical residues, or oil, into a drain, when we fail to properly control and handle the chemicals used in our manufacturing processes, when we use waste treatment facilities that are not functioning properly, and when our landfills are leaking, we are putting ourselves, the future of the nation, and the health of children who have not even been born yet, at risk. There are extreme costs to be reckoned with. The health system in the nation is already functioning poorly. The Caribbean region leads the world in lifestyle diseases—non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. How wise is it to risk adding rising rates of cancer and birth defects to the mix?
The economic impacts of pollution are often subtle. They may take years to make themselves felt. Many nations have been through expensive clean-up campaigns that have put a strain on their economies and their industries. Now companies the world over are discovering that being better corporate citizens and taking better care of the environment is making them far more profitable than they had been. T&T is looking for ways to diversify its economy, but it is important to know that many foreign companies who may consider investing in T&T have clauses in their corporate charters which specify that they not do business with firms or jurisdictions who are not good stewards of the environment.
Therefore by not taking sufficient care of the environment we are limiting our future economic possibilities as well. The good news is that there is a new level of concern in air. People are talking about new ways, new solutions and new behaviour, including at the highest levels of government. Now is the time to put this energy to use and take action. The environmental problems facing the nation are solvable. Best management practices already exist; proven methods for cleaning up messes. A brilliant man named Roberto Vargas, a community organiser and social activist, once told me, “A lot of bad things may be happening, but the good news is that there is the opportunity for everyone to be a hero.”
