An island of dust and diesel emissions

Your report 'Quarries blamed for ill health in Attard' (The Sunday Times, June 21) rightly highlights the health problems caused by dust from nearby quarries. A problem exists in other localities such as Naxxar, which are also subject to heavy pollution from construction plants.

Visible dust is only the tip of the iceberg. The real threat to health comes from finer, invisible particles of dust which remain suspended in the air for long periods. Inhalation of these invisible dust particles and traffic-related particulates is the undoubted significant cause of asthma and other respiratory disorders.

An equally great cause for worry is that the construction industry also uses machinery and heavy transport vehicles driven by diesel fuel. Diesel engines, especially if old and not correctly maintained, emit fine particles which are far more toxic than dust derived from rock cutting. It is these particles that are especially harmful to health when added to the dust.

A very serious consequence of exposure to diesel emissions is retarded lung development in children, leading to impaired lung function which persists into adulthood. Pollution is also particularly harmful to people who already have health problems such as asthma and heart conditions. This makes them highly sensitive to the adverse effects of pollution and aggravates their condition. Where diesel emissions are added to dust pollution, the effects can be expected to include shorter life span and an increased incidence of lung cancer.

It has been repeatedly shown that the adverse health effects of diesel pollution are significantly higher in those who reside in or near roads where such vehicles regularly pass. The diesel emissions from the 200-or-so trucks transporting construction material using the street which separates people's homes from Wied Incita probably constitute a greater threat than the dust itself.

Air monitoring in Malta continues to show that concentrations of important pollutants, such as traffic-related particulates and benzene, in our surroundings exceed the maximum permissible limits set by the EU. Real time monitoring in Floriana and, more recently in Msida, has shown high levels of traffic-related particulates. These findings are almost certainly applicable to most of our built-up areas.

Attard's and Naxxar's dust problems have long been ignored by the authorities much in the same way as the threat to health from dense pollution caused by our diesel buses is ignored.

The effect on health of residents who are exposed to pollution in areas adjoining construction industry sites has not been investigated in Malta. Neither has the air quality been properly monitored in residential areas in the vicinity of construction plants.

The EU Commission has already noted that the concentrations of particulate matter in Lija exceed limits and that Malta's air pollution abatement plans have not yet achieved compliance to EU guidelines.

What are we waiting for?