On the 24th June it was reported that Malta had taken the easy way out on air monitoring by convincing the EU that almost half of the 52 occasions when Malta exceeded EU limits of particulate matter in our air had were due to “natural causes” like ‘dust from the Sahara Desert’ and sea spray. The environment NGOs Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħar, Friends of the Earth and Ramblers’ Association maintain that such excuses do not impress anyone living with the consequences of our emissions-laden air. While the Prime Minister assured the EU that “Malta remains committed to implementing the Air Quality Plan” virtually every bus, heavy vehicle and construction machinery as well as many diesel-fuelled vehicles continue to emit thick, dark fumes with no steps being taken to correct the situation.
The issue of pollution emitted by vehicles on our roads is hugely important to our health because such emissions are heavily laden with toxic particles and substances which are inhaled by all.
Government is aware of the strong evidence that such pollution is responsible for increased cancer rates and premature deaths, mostly from lung and heart disease. Extensive international studies show that children growing in traffic-polluted environments sustain permanent lung damage and increased rates of asthma attacks – as shown by the rate of hospitalization for asthma in Fgura, the highest in the world.
There is strong evidence that particulate concentrations are higher in homes on heavy traffic streets. It has also been shown that cancer and premature mortality rates are higher in traffic-congested areas. The fact that exhaust from our buses and other diesel vehicles is mostly emitted in densely built-up areas and often in narrow streets which prevents it from dispersing, should be prompting immediate action, irrespective of what air monitoring stations indicate. Dust from construction activity and particles from the exhaust of excavation machinery are often emitted in congested sites. This also highlights the pressing need to introduce planning policies to curb urban over-development.
Moreover, outrageously incorrect statements aimed at misleading the public continue to be made. The most recent was the announcement by our Health Ministry that the cancer rate in the southeast of Malta is “lower than the national average” and the preposterous claim that “it did not appear that fly ash had caused an increase in cancer rates” when it is known that cancers may incubate for up to twenty years. Deception on this scale by our Health Department in trying to downplay the gravity of the situation is unacceptable in the context of Malta’s polluted environment; such an attitude does not fall far short of being criminal.
The disparity between the evident pollution in our streets and MEPA’s allegedly favourable air quality monitoring results is explained by the fact that the air monitoring stations are placed incorrectly and are not providing data on the real situation – or are not functioning properly, like the one in Attard. The fumes emitted by traffic on our crowded roads are visible to all; credible air quality monitoring can only confirm what the public already knows but what our ministers insist on ignoring: that something is fundamentally wrong and that there is shameless flouting of the law.
The MEPA Public Attitudes Survey shows that the public is not being taken in by manipulation of the facts, as 43% of respondents consider air quality the most worrying environmental problem, an overwhelming 83% of respondents confirm that air pollution is affecting their health and 89% agree with measures to diminish vehicle emissions. The importance of dealing with Malta’s pollution is supported by clear scientific evidence that people exposed to traffic pollution, especially those living on, or close to, congested roads, have a higher rate of illness and early death due to heart and lung disease and cancer. Why is it therefore that the authorities adamantly refuse to take immediate action in the face of more residents becoming ill because of toxic fumes with every passing month?
The NGOs remind the authorities of the Auditor General’s report on 2008, which revealed that the ADT had ignored 75,000 text messages sent in by citizens taking the initiative and PAYING to report vehicles that were belching thick, black smoke. According to the report, the public reported 30 per cent of public transport vehicles, 10 per cent of commercial vehicles and four per cent of private vehicles, and yet in 2008 and 2009 ADT did not test any cars. No one has taken any responsibility for this. Is Government now betraying its duty to safeguard public health once again, on the very same issue of air quality?
http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/07/19/t5.html
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090710/local/adt-admits-it-ignored-sms-reports