By Kpakae L. Roberts
Blue Zone Liberia Proponent and Researcher
on Liberia’s Biodiversity
+231 770 279 609/ 881 098 315
Blue Zone Liberia and its research partners – the longevity research program & GETWELL Natural Healing & Research Center -do not wish to panic people with reporting things about the frightening environmental indications of the harmful effects of toxic chemicals used by industrial society, and other harmful human environment interactions that are affecting the health, the ecosystem, and shrinking the biodiversity of this bioregion – Liberia; but our findings are news worthy; and therefore it is our duty, as a researcher and medical organization, to print their results in newspapers. And this is not a matter of overacting to the various findings, for these findings give us reasons to believe that the people’s health and environment are in imminent peril.
We are telling this chilling news with the complete history of companies recounting horrible or horrific events caused by them as only key participants in the unfolding events of the past and present that are continually victimizing the people or the live communities of this bioregion. If the EPA, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and FDA have not conservatively estimated, or in other words, identified hazardous waste-dump sites of this bioregion, I think it is now time that we need to look back at these agencies’ and ministries’ track records of tests conducted on toxic chemicals in their laboratories, and observational and investigational reports (if any have been conducted or initiated) in the past or present and for the public to note whether these agencies’ and ministries’ track record of test conducted toxic chemical in the laboratory, and observational and investigational reports (if any have been conducted or initiated) in the past or present and for the public to note whether these agencies and ministries have been erring on the right or wrong side.
Our personal observations, investigations, and research conducted on several sites within our Bioregion and its live communities, and a live community’s environment interaction and negative effects and impact a live community’s activity have on our Bioregion’s Atmosphere; Lithosphere; Hydrosphere and Biosphere persuade us that indeed, these factors or situations are the most serious environmental problem of the next decades.
OUR BIOREGION – LIBERIA’S DECISION TO ACCOMMODATE INDUSTRY.
Liberia had made the decision to accommodate industry at the unforeseen expense of its natural resources and the life of its people. Liberia is our best model for any commercial venture. It carries out its operations with an economy and productivity far beyond that of human institutions. It also runs its systems with a minimum of entropy. There is in nature none of that toxic waste or non-decomposing litter such as is made by the industrial society. Our bioregion and its distinctive sub-bioregional live communities are an important aspect of the entire evolutionary process, which can be considered as most remarkable feats of a Bioregion. Our Bioregion and each of its sub-bioregions has, since creation, been performing unnumbered experiments in designing the existing life system.
Despite the frightening environmental indications creeping gradually within our bioregion, both past and present government agencies and ministries continued to cater to industrial whims and ignore the health threat posed by companies that are damaging our environment in which live communities are. Both government and industrial officials may be aware, or not aware of the nature of toxic compounds continued to be used by the companies or concessions operating in Liberia.
CASE STUDY OF FRIGHTENING ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATIONS IN MONTSERRADO, CAPE MOUNT, AND FIRESTONE, HARBEL LIBERIA
Nature has been caught off guard, as it is utterly unprepared for onslaught of artificially man-made elements. Earth’s (Liberia’s) crust has not been capable, including its sea or ocean, for dissembling the kinds of complex new toxic man-made substances strung together by the folly of man. Chemicals such as C-56, PCBs, DDT, and Benzene and many toxic ones are sophisticated; some are solid enough to withstand degradation by sunlight, dissolution by water, breakdown by acids, clay minerals or metal ions. Deadly to the human metabolism, these toxic chemicals find their way into the soil, water, and air as easy way to stay; and up to date, EPA and agencies and ministries have not conservatively estimated the number of hazardous waste dumps.
However, let us quickly look at some sub-bioregional live communities in our Bioregion, as proponent and researcher of BLUE ZONE LIBERIA, I have observed, investigated, and researched in the past and present.
Let’s look at two waste dumpsites in two areas in Montserrado County: The Du-River is a perfect example of nasty hazardous waste dumpsite; and the other? The -+closed and opened tunnel and open drain leading from the rocky area of Mamba Point, passing under Newport and Randall Streets, running adjacent Public Works between A.B. Anderson Funeral Parlor, and its twin brother (a close and open drain) running from the same direction, Mamba Point, visible or open at St. Samuel Church and School on Center Street, running through Rally Time Market and Buzay Quarter, and under UN Drive and end of Camp Johnson Road to the Executive Manson running under narrow concrete bridges and running alongside the Manson into the sea with toxic wastes.
Second, let’s look at a Hazardous waste dumpsite that existed once in Grand Cape Mount County used by the former National Iron Ore Company (NIOC). This company accumulated its Iron Ore waste overtime; it eventually broke open on a dark night in the mid-eighties and destroyed lives and properties.
Third, during my Senior High School days, in 1976, December summer vacation which lasted for three months, I spent my vacation with my brother who was an “Air Traffic Controller” at RIA, resided in “Unification Town”. That year I worked with Firestone Plantation Company at the Rubber processing Plant and was assigned at the Drying Plant for three months – from December, 1976 to March, 1977.
The first three months long vacation work was a nuisance because of the harsh condition at the Drying Plant. In spite of the constant hot air and toxic condition within the drying plant, no health care was given to the vacation students, even though the Plant Supervisor received perfunctory call daily at the plant from some authorities he replied that vacation ‘students’ daily attendance was normal; they did not care to conduct medical checkups for student workers. For this and many more reasons, and because there was no growing resistance evident among the students in the plant, I went out to visit other adjacent or an adjoining plant to find out what chemicals were used in other processes to make an informal health survey, so on the next day I ask to leave my assignment area to work in another plant. I did not tell any student while I decided to change my assigned area, neither did I tell any student of my plan to make an informal survey of health, and neither a meeting arranged with students to acquaint them with my plans to find out what illness they were suffering from or signs and symptoms they had from the intense heats or toxic chemicals used in their plants and from the hot humid air they were constantly breathing in their various processing plants environment. I was on this rotational assignment for the rest of my vacation period. At the end of my vacation period, the student workers list of illnesses I made was startling. I thought either they were exaggerating their illness, or the toxic chemicals mixed with the hot humid air had already taken an intense and disheartening toll. Many students unaffected before starting work at the various processing plants, were now plagued with various types of disorders such as headaches, nervous disorders, rashes, ear infection, tearing-red eyes, heart stroke, and many other ailments.
So, I quited immediately, at the end of February, 1976 after my health survey at the Factory’s Processing Plant and other sections and the homes of many of the vacation students who were assigned at the drying plant and other sections of the factory. Up to date, the industrial odor is still easily noticed and smelt, an odor which may cause future disorders for first-time visitors who may be riding, driving or walking through the Firestone – Harbel – Margibi to Grand Bassa Corridor evident of polluted air with toxic chemical spilling in water ways and soil.
PRESURE FROM BLUE ZONE DWELLERS AND LIVE COMMUNITIES OF OCTOGENARIANS, NONAGENARIANS AND CENTENARIANS AND YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS.
As a result of Government Agencies and Ministries and EPA’s inadequate response, pressure from live communities, BLUE ZONE DWELLERS – Geographic areas with high concentrations of the world’s Longest-living people in Liberia, and recently organized youth organizations springing up in Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties, the officials of GOL and EPA executives need no longer maintain silence and should conduct a case study in all the live communities on Air pollution (Atmosphere), Topsoil or Crust or lands above and below sea or ocean (Lithosphere), surface water and Groundwater (Hydrosphere), and the Biosphere which is the collection of Plants and Animals of all types that live within our Bioregion. Liberia’s entire biosphere is divided into many ecosystems – a place shared by plants and animals that depend on one another for survival. Blood samples would be taken to see if there are any unusual enzyme levels indicating liver destruction and extensive medical questionnaire made to be answered by each family head of the live communities.
As interest to conduct test and blood samples taken to conduct test at EPA, MOH and NPHIL Labs, test results could further reveal, in addition to existing toxic compound or chemicals, many other compounds could be discovered in the makeshift dumpsites, some of them may be potential carcinogens, and the possible physiological effects could be profound and diverse. Some of the compounds could affects the brain and central nervous system – as it is currently in the case of one of my patients whose tooth was extracted by a dentist. Several other compounds could readily cause narcosis, or anesthesia such as chlorobenzene or carbon tetrachloride. Many other compounds that may be imported unknown to some Government officials or EPA executive officers could be known to cause headaches, seizures, loss of hair, anemia, and skin rashes. Some compounds when combined, could be capable of inflicting numerable illnesses and no one knows what different concoctions are being mixed underground or in wetlands and water within our bioregion. But even then, no one realized, since only the industrial society could know, that beyond the pesticides and solvents – far beyond the fly ash, other additional chemicals could be imported and unidentified or, may identified during the years to come.
We are thinking of a tour of waste dumpsites within the sub-regions where we will inspect and take samples of waste-dump chemicals for test. Let not the Government and EPA officials find it upsetting, because we can foresee a great and imminent peril to the health of the general public dwelling within this bioregion that has persuaded us or BLUE ZONE Dwellers that the toxic chemical wastes now gradually poisoning our water, land, and air are indeed the most serious environmental problem of the next decades.
