By Charminae George
Health problems and a reduced quality of life due to dust pollution are issues long lamented by residents who live near the quarries in Pigotts and Bendals.
Following the government’s pledge in March to acquire two dust suppression systems to remedy the situation, Information Minister Melford Nicholas was asked for an update during yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing.
Nicholas said the systems are currently being procured.
An exact timeline for the arrival of the systems was not forthcoming, however, Nicholas sought to explain the reason for this. Two contributing factors were cited, the first being dependent on the supplier and the second, the shipping company.
“There is the timeline for the supplier, because in many instances you’re not getting the units that are bought off of the shelf.
“Even with that, the shipping lines present a particular challenge,” he stated, also mentioning the disruption the Covid-19 pandemic caused.
Nicholas referenced a timeline given by a supplier and a shipping company which would have consisted of 14 weeks to assemble the systems, then four weeks to ship them.
However, he reiterated that a definitive timeline cannot yet be stated until the exact time necessary for assembly and shipping is known.
Minister Nicholas’ comments appear to contradict remarks from Works Minister Maria Browne who recently told Observer that the equipment had already been bought and was on its way to Antigua.
In May, the Ministry of Works was tasked with buying and installing two dust suppression systems totalling $250,000 by the Cabinet.
Residents living near the quarries have long complained about the impact of aggregate dust on their lung health, while the fine particulate matter also causes misery in their homes. Recent efforts to increase production at the quarries saw residents’ woes amplified.
According to Dr Panagis Galiatsatos, of the American Lung Association, individuals without an underlying lung condition who breathe in a large amount of quarry dust will experience immediate symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness.
However, persons with asthma or another lung condition will experience more serious symptoms with less dust inhalation.
In the long-term, breathing in the dust could result in the damage or scarring of the lungs, a pulmonologist for the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center indicated.
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