Environmentalists Warn Against Burning As Fire Service Adds 28 New Officers
Dominica’s Chief Environmental Health Officer, Tassy Thomas, has warned against bush burning and piling of trash in residential vicinities. She warned Dominicans to cease bush burning and unwanton burning of trash since the smoke from the incineration could add to the risks of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thomas made it clear that smoke is damaging to the human lungs, and so is COVID-19. Since coronavirus is made worse when there is a preexisting health condition such as damaged lungs, the environmentalist warned that people should avoid burning since smoke in the lungs could worsen COVID-19 infections.
“Some homes have several piles of rubbish burning at the same time,” Thomas stated. “Unless you have a vehicle waiting to take the stuff to the landfill, do not pile them. When you do so, you are creating harborage for rats. We may have COVID-19 right now but we still have to concentrate on the other diseases because rats can cause leptospirosis and we don’t want to be dealing with all these ills in our society right now.”
Meanwhile, the additional health hazards posed by fire outbreaks have prompted the Fire and Ambulance Services to hire more officers to combat fire risks on the island. Dominica’s Fire Chief Josiah Dupuis said 28 officers who completed the necessary trainings have been inducted into the fire and ambulance service to help fight fire incidents across the island.
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