Corruption and Pollution

[Terpe]

Nearly 13 years after the Clean Air Act or Republic Act 8749 was signed into law, a group organized a summit recently to address the worsening air pollution in Metro Manila. The organizers are not strictly environmental advocates, but people who confront daily the consequences of poor air quality: physicians.

Members of the Philippine Medical Association told the Clean Air Summit that there has been a noticeable increase in the number of consultations concerning illnesses affected by air quality, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The doctors reminded the public that air pollution kills, but before death, those suffering from pollution-related illnesses first incur huge hospital expenses compounded by the loss of income due to sickness.

Passed in 1999, RA 8749 was supposed to pave the way for a comprehensive air pollution control policy. The doctors, however, observed that the law has failed to achieve its objectives due to poor enforcement aggravated by corruption. Despite stringent provisions in RA 8749, air quality in Metro Manila has not improved in the past 13 years and may have even worsened due to the continuing increase in the number of motor vehicles. The problem is also worsening in several other key urban centers in the country.

The doctors called for a readjustment of policies for better implementation of the Clean Air Act. They also emphasized the need for strict enforcement of laws on motor vehicle emissions, which are supposed to undergo testing before annual registration. The doctors estimate that up to 80 percent of air pollution in Metro Manila comes from motor vehicles. You don’t need a testing device to see many vehicles – particularly trucks, buses, jeepneys and motorcycles – fouling up the air with black, toxic emissions.

The doctors noted that regular exposure to carbon monoxide increased susceptibility to heart disease. It also impaired vision, learning ability, manual dexterity and capacity for work. At the end of the summit, participants signed a covenant pushing for cleaner air in Metro Manila. The covenant will be submitted to President Aquino, who must give priority to a problem that causes death, illness and low national productivity. Improving enforcement of the Clean Air Act should not be an impossible task.

Source:-
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx...bCategoryId=64

[lastlid]

I think the Oposa doctrine should cover this one quite nicely. Minors Oposa v Factoran could equally apply here.

"...every generation has a responsibility to the next to preserve that rhythm and harmony for the full enjoyment of a balanced and healthful ecology. Put a little differently, the minors’ assertion of their right to a sound environment constitutes, at the same time, the performance of their obligations to ensure the protection of that right for the generations to come"

"It was the first time in the world that the concept of intergenerational equity was used to win a case. This triumph was picked up by the international law community, and soon, the Oposa Doctrine was to be regarded as a precedent for intergenerational equity."

Problem is poor enforcement of the laws and acts as the article states. Same as for illegal logging and its associated environmental consequences.

http://dilimangenius.webs.com/antoniooposajr.htm

[Doc Alan]

While the most serious personal air pollution is smoking, the most important source of external air pollution in Philippines, UK and elsewhere is now motor vehicles, especially in cities. Air pollutants are usually present in a mixture :-
• Carbon monoxide – interferes with oxygen carriage in blood.
• Volatile Organic Compounds – most important is benzene.
• Particulate Matter – mainly from diesel, inhaled deeply into lungs.
• Nitrogen dioxide .
• Ozone - from action of sun on nitrogen oxides – “ photochemical smog “ which can spread to rural areas.
• Short-term problems - cough, shortness of breath, especially in those with asthma or chronic bronchitis/emphysema.
• Long-term problems - may increase risk of lung cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis/emphysema.
• Compared to many countries, air pollution levels in UK are low.
• An estimated 1/8 deaths in Metro Manila may result from air pollution ( around 5,000 premature deaths, mainly cardiovascular and lung diseases ). Next are Cebu , Davao , Zamboanga, and Iloilo cities.
• China has seen the largest human migration in history. Air pollution contributes to disease both in urban and in rural areas, and traffic-related accidents are a major public health threat as the country becomes increasingly motorised. In 2011, the proportion of China's population classified as urban reached 51%.
• China's air quality standards have been hard to meet. Outdoor air pollution may be associated with more than 400 000 premature deaths per year. Rapid increases in motor vehicle use— the number of vehicles in Beijing is growing by more than 1000 per day— contribute to serious air pollution in many cities.
• How to minimise risks from air pollution ? Easier said than done, but :-
1. Avoid strenuous outdoor exercise in polluted areas.
2. Carry inhalers if needed ( masks probably don’t help ).
3. Walk, bicycle, or use public transport. Air conditioning helps if available.
4. At least in UK, nobody should fear going outdoors because of air pollution. Give up smoking instead !
5. A continuing hazard of public transportation in Philippines is passive smoking from passengers who smoke in jeepneys and non-air-conditioned buses. Drivers themselves still smoke despite stickers and signs saying “No Smoking” and Republic Act 9211 / Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 which prohibit smoking inside public vehicles.

[lastlid]

A continuing hazard of public transportation in Philippines is passive smoking from passengers who smoke in jeepneys and non-air-conditioned buses. Drivers themselves still smoke despite stickers and signs saying “No Smoking” and Republic Act 9211 / Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 which prohibit smoking inside public vehicles.

You mention passive smoking. I learnt a lot from my first marriage on that one. Both my children were asthma sufferers and from what I can gather it was completely to do with passive smoking, both in the womb and outside. (Thats womb not room.)

Doc Alan. Not completely unrelated, any info on hayfever in the Philippines? I get it but never during my 2 trips to the Philippines in April and June 2011.

The only time I got hayfever abroad was in Sweden where I was working in a pine forest at the time.

[lastlid]

Drivers themselves still smoke despite stickers and signs saying “No Smoking” and Republic Act 9211 / Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 which prohibit smoking inside public vehicles.

I find that one quite funny. Presumably as iconic as 10 persons on a motorbike. My wife showed me a picture from Facebook the other day with about 8 people on a motorbike including a small baby held by its mother, in a bucket dangled off to one side.

[andy222]

Doctors advise you to stop smoking then the government moan because we are living longer and it costs a lot of money. Cant win.

[Doc Alan]

Doc Alan. Not completely unrelated, any info on hayfever in the Philippines? I get it but never during my 2 trips to the Philippines in April and June 2011.

I do have some information on hay fever and asthma, which are related conditions ( both allergic ) - rather than go off topic, I've posted it on the Health section .