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Recently, there has been a discussion about our respiratory hygiene in the Med-Hive community, and we have come to realize that the environment we thrive in can pose a serious threat to our respiratory system. In a not too-distant post on the environment, I lamented how a neighbor located a pig pen right beside my apartment, with a fence in between, and the option of reporting such an individual to the government agency responsible for environmental protection.
During the course of my travel from Iloin, here in Kwara State, Nigeria, to Offa town, which is less than 80 miles away, yesterday, I came across an industry that is situated some fifteen minutes drive from the capital city. This brings me to the question below:
HOW DISTANT SHOULD FUME INDUSTRIES BE FROM RESIDENTIAL AREAS?
Fumes are smoke emitted from industries into the atmosphere that is most often harmful to humanity and nature. These fumes can also be exhaled in vaporized forms, which can be whitish or dark in appearance.
My attempt to discuss this topic will be based on my limited understanding as a medic and a nature lover. The atmosphere is constantly bombarded by toxic air pollutants that tend to destabilize the greenhouse gases in the air, thus posing a serious threat to humanity and nature.
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When fumes are exhaled into the atmosphere, the greenhouse gases—a combination of methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other fluorinated gases—become destabilized, and the earth’s natural greenhouse becomes compromised. The greenhouse gas is a protective earth covering that absorbs heat from the sun, keeping the earth warm and preventing it from becoming Iceland. It is thus one of the many reasons humanity is counseled to grow more trees for every cut tree.
Most fumes from industries contain a toxic gas known as carbon monoxide. This carbon monoxide is exhaled from the human body, while oxygen is inhaled. This is a reminder that carbon monoxide is unwelcome in the human body as well as in the environment. Sources of this gas thus need to be situated in distant places from residential areas.
Smoke-emitting objects are not limited to industries but could be as simple as the burning of tires in the neighborhood. The practice of burning tires and other objects capable of emitting toxic gases within residential areas has been unchecked by the government and well-meaning agencies, thus creating a conducive environment for these gases to be available for inhalation in the neighborhood.
Industries and the incineration of waste materials should be located in arrears where they cannot be easily sighted, or about 5–10 kilometers away. Despite efforts by the industries to locate their equipment far away, the people in the neighborhood are quick to turn the surroundings of the industry into urban settlements because of their frequent trades and at the expense of their health.
Industries that violate their location should be quickly reported to the environmental agencies for quick intervention. We must also be cautious to avoid locating our residential homes in significant proximity to industries. The burning of fume-emitting objects in the neighborhood should be frowned upon and steps taken to prevent future occurrences.
We must therefore exercise significant caution with what we breathe in.
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions 🤗