CAUTION ON CHEMICALS – Dangers of hazardous waste streams and residues in containers at household level
Emerging streams like e-wastes, plastics, lead acid wastes batteries, diapers, used tyres, used oils, used containers and expired pharmaceuticals are now a serious threat to lives and ecosystems
LILONGWE, Malawi (Planet Defence) – Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change through Environmental Affairs Department has rolled an outreach and awareness drive by engaging led agencies namely; Lilongwe City Council, Pharmacy and Medicine Regulatory Authority and the citizenry at large on how best to address emerging waste streams like e-wastes, plastics, lead acid wastes batteries, used diapers, waste tyres, used oils and expired pharmaceuticals products that pose a serious threat to human lives and the environment.
Caroline Theka, is Project Coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supported, Strengthening Institutional Capacity to Plan, Monitor and Coordinating the Implementation Strategies and National Programs for Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste in Malawi.
She warned during an expert panel discussion with citizen representation that new emerging wastes are an area of national concern from the rest of other wastes adding that most of them end up being used unknowingly by the population through used containers that have traces of residual chemicals with them.
Malawi has recently witnessed a surge in these kinds of wastes including use of bottles and containers of both pesticides and chemicals that end up being used at households for domestic chores like water storage and as salt containers for instance. What it means is that when you consume a container which had actellic powder in it, it means you are directly consuming the pesticide and getting exposed.
There is a list of emerging wastes streams, “We have plastics, lead acid batteries, used oils and expired pharmaceuticals that are being used by people. However, these have a negative bearing on human health and the environment in the long term as they are not bio-degradable. All these emerging wastes have their own proper disposal to ensure that they don’t pose a threat to people, livestock including the interconnected web of life in aquatic ecosystems downstream,” Theka made her inaugural’s remarks.
The UNEP funded initiative that is aimed at containing pollution will result in increased awareness of the public and decision makers on the life cycle of chemicals and waste, participatory management by the public, dangers associated with reusing empty chemical containers for domestic purposes and functional integrated information management system which is accessible by all.
Thokozani Mkaka, Deputy Director of Health at Lilongwe City Council emphasised on a need for more citizen enhanced citizen awareness in a bid to address challenges related to chemicals and wastes.
“There is now a need for sustainable waste management approaches to avoid accumulation of these wastes physically. We also need to ensure there is private sector participation as part of recycling process to ensure we can make a fortune through job creation from products that can be developed through recycling, reduce and reuse,” explained Mkaka when asked what are the realistic sustainable approaches to managing these wastes in the wake of population growth.
According to Mkaka as a consequence of inaction from the health perspective, the country was leaving a negative ecological footprint as a result of chemicals and wastes ending up in the ecosystem. These problems he added will not be felt today, but by future generations through diseases like cancers and threats to people's digestive system in the long term.
Taking his turn, Jackson Simbeye, Medicines Inspection Officer at Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority took time to sensitise the masses on a need to follow instructions especially on medication dosage and medical related equipment handling and proper disposal after use.
According to Simbeye, instruments used in hospitals for clinical interventions such as thermometers need to be properly disposed after use because the contain the element Mercury.
Mercury is a chemical element and widespread environmental pollutant which induces severe alterations in the body tissues and causes a wide range of adverse health effects. Both humans and animals are exposed to various chemical forms of mercury in the environment.
“These chemicals have implication on people’s health, including threats to unborn children,” Simbeye warned the public at large advising them, “to avoid taking expired drugs as they turn into poison when they are consumed in the body. All expired drugs need to be returned to Pharmacies collected from and people need to know this is provided for in the law.”
Drina Mphote a representative of the citizens cited an example that there was a case in Mchinji when fish showed certain signs of inflammation on the skin. These are typical examples of what happens when chemicals are not well managed and end up affected other living organisms in the environment including people that consume water for instance.
She pledged to work with chiefs and local structures to sensitise them about chemicals and wastes in his area of jurisdiction under the Mbwemba Natural Resources Group which she funded.
We will work with the structures at grassroots level and also share this information in various social media platforms where people will be reached with chemicals and waste handling tips including proper disposal.
According to Theka, they noted that chemical wastes haven’t had the limelight as compared to other issues being given prominence in as far as awareness and outreach is concerned in general.
Therefore, the initiative will highlight that wastes generated from chemicals are important and they need to be managed properly in order to protect human health and the environment,” Theka, said during a working session recently in Dowa.
The series of expert panel discussions will be aired on radio and television stations as part of scaling up awareness on chemical wastes including re-use of containers that previously stored hazardous chemicals that are a threat to humanity and the environment.
She added that for containers that contained consumables that simply need to be properly cleaned to before use while those with hazardous chemicals need to be avoided at all cost to avoid the chemical exposure effect.
Malawi’s has a number of regulatory frameworks that are in line with chemical waste management and the overarching one include the Environment Management Act, 2017.
Sounds like a great initiative. Hope the lined activities will become routine and not too projectised in terms of duration. Visiting a manufacturing company or a school should become a core routine thing. If a visit to a nearby can only happen because of donor money then the problem will persist
very harmful