Clean air, safe water and toxic-free environments should not be regarded as luxuries ― they form the core of human health, fairness and dignity.
Yet alarmingly, air pollution prematurely claims 26,000 lives a year in South Africa. Simply breathing is putting our health on the line, particularly for children and the elderly who are at greatest risk of becoming ill.
It’s a debilitating, deadly but often invisible public health threat that residents in heavily polluted parts of our cities and provinces have faced for too long without decisive steps being taken to address the issue.
“Exposure to polluted air impairs lung development and impacts health from the earliest stages of life,” warned Dr Kevin Makadzange, programme management officer for the World Health Organization (WHO) South Africa.
The WHO estimates that 7-million people die prematurely every year due to air pollution globally. Studies show South Africa has the fourth-highest number of deaths linked to particulate matter pollution on the continent, with nearly 100% of the population breathing air that exceeds WHO guideline levels, reports TimesLIVE Premium.
Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, in commemorating World Environmental Health Day recently in Ekurhuleni, described air pollution as a “silent killer” causing health problems and premature deaths.
“The tiny particles we breathe daily don’t just irritate our lungs, they are silent drivers of noncommunicable diseases, heart disease, stroke, chronic respiratory conditions and even cancers,” Motsoaledi said.
Tackling air pollution is not a can we can keep kicking down the road. Decisive action is needed now, with innovative thinking and partnerships playing an important role.
The scourge of air pollution has been extensively reported on by this publication, and the Sunday Times, over the years. Mbali Mathebula recounted a year ago how she became ill after returning home to Emalahleni, Mpumalanga. Her four-year-old son and brother had the same symptoms: “Asthma and sinuses. You have to buy a lot of medication.”
Clearly, more needs to be done to improve the quality of the air we breathe. But are we up to the task?
The WHO has urged South Africa to adopt five priorities over the next two years, including stronger air quality standards focusing on hotspots; accelerating a just energy transition through clean energy, sustainable transport and safe household cooking; strengthening pollution monitoring systems by integrating air, water and waste data with health outcomes; and other interventions aimed at wider pollution such as protecting children from toxic exposures by enforcing lead paint standards and tackling legacy pollution.
Despite this roadmap towards a healthier environment, serious hurdles remain, including budget shortfalls. Motsoaledi last week conceded there were only 4,000 environmental health practitioners employed to protect public health in the country.
“Without enough skilled staff on the ground, and the right resources in place, our efforts to prevent disease will always fall short,” he said.
He described the staffing shortfall as a public health crisis with direct consequences for food safety, workplace conditions and community well-being.
Budget and resource shortages are cited again and again when it comes to the provision of services, including health care.
Tackling air pollution is not a can we can keep kicking down the road. Decisive action is needed now, with innovative thinking and partnerships playing an important role.
One can only hope as our law enforcement agencies claw back some of the billions looted through corruption and crooked tenders, some of that cash can be reinvested into beefing up our over-stretched complement of environmental health practitioners, rigorous enforcement and technology that will undoubtedly help us all breathe a little easier in the future.
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