Dear Editor,
On January 31 we were happy to read in the news that finally the emergency repairs will commence at the Leonard Conner School in Cay Bay. Since the month of October it was clear that something had to be done about the air pollution with sulphur dioxide caused by industrial activities generated by GEBE, SOL and BLS laundry in the Cay Bay area. For a few weeks at that time students and teachers from the School where complaining about the smell and effect of toxic gasses in the air around the school environment.
The smell of the gasses caused students, teachers and visitors to experience illness, shortness of breath and other symptoms.
The Fire Department, and Inspectors of VROMI and VSA had carried out several investigations for a few weeks and were not able to conclude that any alarming levels of toxic gas were recorded in the area. But a deeper and more comprehensive study was needed to ascertain exactly what is causing the rising distress as well as what can be done to alleviate such. Finally, the decision was made by Minister Sylveria Jacobs of Education to close the School and relocate the students to various other schools over the island.
The emergency repairs to the Leonard Conner School consist of upgrading the electricity network and installing of air-conditioning in each classroom, meaning that after completion of the emergency repairs the students and teachers will be moving back to the same unhealthy environment. Now that makes us wonder what will happen if GEBE is load-shedding or has a total blackout like they had recently.
Having air-conditioning in each classroom is not the solution; it will only be affective if the students remain in the room the whole day. That means they are not protected when playing outside or during sports classes on the school square because they still will be exposed to the air pollution with the toxic gases from the three companies.
The parents and teachers were told that the results of the measurements of toxic gases in the air taken by the Fire Department, and Inspectors of VROMI and VSA are not high enough to establish a connection between the measurements captured and the symptoms experienced by students and teachers at the School. Fact is no investigation was done to determine what the long-time effect of exposure will be to toxic gases in the air even when the air pollution is below the permitted quantity in the air. This is not only affecting the health of the students and teachers of the School, but the health of all people involved living, working and recreating in the area of Cay Bay and surroundings.
Health effects of exposure to sulphur dioxide on human beings are: Corneal haze, breathing difficulty, airways inflammation, eye irritation, psychic alterations, pulmonary edema, heart failure and circulatory collapse.
Air pollution with sulphur dioxide is also associated with asthma, chronic bronchitis, morbidity and mortality increase in older people and infants. Government and the companies mentioned are claiming there is a hindrance permit in place in connection with the air pollution! Bravo, our question is when was the last time these hindrance permits were updated?
The best solution for all parties involved is that GEBE, SOL and BLS laundry take their responsibility and acknowledge that they are the cause for the air pollution with sulphur dioxide in the Cay Bay area and install Flue-gas desulfurization (removes sulphur dioxide from the fume before being exposed to the open air) on their generators and chimneys. Government of Sint Maarten needs to update their probably expired hindrance permit policies, which are maybe based on policies and environment issues from the sixties last century.
Rein and Mireya Torrenga
Cole Bay
(Concerned parents of a student attending the Leonard Conner School)
