Expert warns against environmental pollution
NAN-HG-3
Pollution
By Ebere Agozie
Abuja, Dec. 23, 2016 (NAN) Prince Elochukwu Adibor, the Chief Executive Officer of El- Lab Medical Diagnostic Centre, says environmental pollution must be taken seriously by all stakeholders to save Nigerians from dying from preventable sicknesses.
Adibor gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, in Abuja.
He said that environmental pollution was part of the causes for some unidentified sicknesses across the globe.
“Breathing polluted air puts you at a higher risk for asthma and other respiratory diseases and scientific evidence shows that healthy people’s lung function decreased and they suffered from respiratory inflammation.
“Air pollutants are mostly carcinogens and living in a polluted area can put people at risk of cancer and as well damages the immune system, endocrine and reproductive systems,’’ Adibor warned.
He said that the burning of fossil fuels and the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were causing the Earth to become warmer.
“The toxic chemicals released into the air settle into plants and water sources, humans and animals eat the contaminated plants and drink the water.
“It has the same negative effect on nature and if present on large quantities, animals including humans and plants will not survive.’’
He said that even agricultural activities were not helping matters because they were mainly responsible for the contamination of water and soil.
“This is caused by the increased use of pesticides; almost all pesticides are made from chemical substances and are meant to keep diseases and threatening animals away from the crops.
“ However, by keeping these forms of life away, harm is almost always made to the surrounding environment as well.
“When we eat reminiscences of pollutants used in the production of processed foods, or pesticides from the crops, rarer diseases like hepatitis, typhoid affections, diarrhoea and hormonal disruptions are inevitable.’’
He therefore urged stakeholders in the environment and health sectors to work together in the fight against environmental pollution.
“It will be nice if all should take the issue of pollution seriously to save Nigerians from imminent death because diseases such as amoebiasis, typhoid and hookworm are caused by polluted drinking water.
“Water polluted also by chemicals such as heavy metals, lead, pesticides and hydrocarbon can cause hormonal and reproductive problems, damage to the nervous system, liver and kidney damage and cancer to name a few.
“And being exposed to mercury causes Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and death,’’ he said. (NAN)
EPA/GOM/MST
Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Muhammad Suleiman Tola