— even as respiratory diseases increase since installation of dust collectors

STATISTICS from the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) are showing the daunting fact that despite the installation of two dust-collectors at the bauxite company Bosai’s Minerals Group Guyana ( BMGG), residents of the mining town of Linden continue to suffer from respiratory diseases.

While other factors should not be disregarded, the daily inhalation of the thick chemical-filled dust particles being emitted from the processing chimneys called kilns at the bauxite plant located in Mackenzie, has been proven to be one of the main reasons for this medical phenomenon that has been plaguing Lindeners for many decades.

Prior to the installation of two dust-collectors in 2012 on kilns 13 and 14, which cost the Chinese expatriate company $8M U.S., residents of Linden were exposed to the emission of bauxite dust into the atmosphere from three kilns: 10, 13 and 14. This environmental hazard resulted in an overwhelming number of Lindeners suffering from respiratory diseases ranging from respiratory tract infection, bronchial asthma and bronchopneumonia.

OPPOSITE RESULTS
It had been expected that after 2012, the situation would have improved, but hospital statistics are showing the opposite.
According to the LHC, there is an increase of both in and out-patients being treated for respiratory tract infections, bronchial asthma and bronchopneumonia after 2012.
According to medical research, bauxite dust inhalation often causes the aforementioned diseases as a result of the chemicals found in the minerals.

The information also shows that many of those patients live in communities in proximity to the bauxite plant such as West Watooka, Silver Town and Central Mackenzie.
One of those patients is Cynthia George, a resident of West Watooka who has been suffering from asthma since she migrated to Linden at the age of six.
Cynthia’s father moved to Linden to seek employment at the bauxite company in 2000. She did not suffer from the disease while living on the West Coast of Berbice, but after the move, she began to have shortness of breath and was later diagnosed with asthma.
“We came up here in 2000 and I was just six, it started with me getting a steady cold and then it moved to shortness of breath and it kept getting worse. My parents run from this doctor to that doctor and nothing didn’t help. They finally said that is the bauxite dust causing it and I should return to Berbice, but that was hard for me because I had already built life here,” George related.

PNEUMONIA TWICE
Another resident of West Watooka, Norman Paul, said he had pneumonia twice because of inhaling the bauxite dust which is evident on his windows, stairway rails and furniture.
“Especially in the night, the dust does come in here thick, thick; it don’t be easy and they have schools around here, even the children does be affected… but it is something we were living in and we get accustom to it,” Paul revealed.
Currently, there is no dust-collector installed on kiln 10, which is the lowest of the three kilns and which also serves as the dryer for the bauxite when it is being processed.
Veteran bauxite worker and regional councillor Charles Sampson had voiced his opinion on the matter and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) had even moved a no-confidence motion against the company in an effort to allow its management to prioritise installation of the dust-collector for kiln 10.
Sampson explained that the current dust-collectors are not able to trap the micronised dust being released into the atmosphere during bauxite production.
Sampson, who worked in the company’s laboratory for decades, said the dryer emits the most dust into the atmosphere and communities such as West Watooka, Retrieve and Silver Town will continue to be affected.
In addition to the dust-collectors, the RDC has also bemoaned the process that is used to load the bauxite into the ships.

NO COVER
There is no cover to keep the dust particles that are permeated from the bauxite and so residents residing in the surrounding communities are exposed to this massive pollution which takes place at least once per week.
In 2016, the LHC installed a spirometer unit with a brand new spirometer machine which is used to accurately test and diagnose patients with respiratory diseases.

According to the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Steve Mark, the installation of this unit was very timely given the overwhelming amount of patients visiting the hospital with respiratory problems.
The machine accurately tests asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), bronchitis and much more. The LHC was the first regional hospital to be equipped with this unit which is the second in the country.
A medical doctor attached to the LHC who was trained to operate the spirometer machine told the Guyana Chronicle that operation of the machine is currently being stymied by shortage of staff.
In addition to this, the machine cannot be used on children below the age of six, adults above the age of 60 and pregnant women in their last trimester.
“It is not effectively functioning because of the workload, but we are trying our best to make it work for Linden,” the doctor said. When the tests are done, he said the patients are either referred or managed, based on the diagnosis.

SALES HIGH
In addition to the figures received from the LHC, the Guyana Chronicle also interviewed pharmacy owners in Linden and it was revealed that on a daily basis, sales for medication relating the respiratory illnesses, especially asthma are relatively high. One pharmacist shared that these medications are high on his restock list, ranging from cold medicines to prescription drugs.
Dennis Muhammad, owner of Right Care Pharmacy located on the Mackenzie shore related that his worry is that many persons coming for medication do not realise how serious their illness may be, rather than taking it for a common cold. He said that many Lindeners are also suffering from sinusitis as a result of the daily inhalation of the bauxite dust. Muhammad said that he too has contracted the respiratory disease.
“The first surgery I did, the Dr. explained to me that if I had left it to another year or two it could have gone to the bone, and in that way, nothing could have been done…. I did three surgeries and am I still suffering? Yes, because I have to inhale that dust on a daily basis and I still have to be using vitamins,” Muhammad affirmed.
The pharmacy owner protested that the sad thing is that Linden is not equipped with a specialist to deal with these respiratory problems and Lindeners just have to continue living in the dust without a choice.

It has been 101 years since bauxite is being mined in Linden. With over six companies manning the industry since 1916, the current BMGG is the only company that installed dust-collectors to the kilns. Calls are however being made for the company to install a dust-collector on kiln 10 and to put systems in place to cover the bauxite when it is being loaded into the ship.

Technical Services Coordinator of BMGG, Wainewright Betune, had told the Guyana Chronicle however that it would not be feasible to install a dust-collector on dryer 10 as the minimum moisture retained during production is five per cent. He explained that the drying is producing almost the same results as the dust- collectors and is used for 20 minutes to half an hour the most. Betune posited that the process is entirely different prior to when there was no dust-collector and it would take close to US$8M to install a dust-collector on dryer 10.

“Why are you going to install something that is not working regular, the dryer just works as required, it’s not like kiln 13 and 14 that works all the time,” he argued.
BMGG Public Relations Officer Vanessa Davis also posited when questioned on the matter that the emissions have been significantly reduced since the degree of the emission is distinct, since there is no dust from the two kilns as previously and there is no knowing from outside of the bauxite plant whether the plant is in operation or not.
Bauxite dust, she said, was never considered a threat to the Linden community but as a pillar, since the economy of Linden was built on bauxite mining.
“In terms of the environmental practices compared to that of the previous mining practices exercised in the olden days, it is realised that mining is done in a safer manner making the environs more environmentally-friendly. Persons can reside close to the mining proximity and hardly be affected,” Davis opined.

Residents, however, remain adamant that the Government and the relevant authorities such as the Environmental Protection Agency should view the situation more seriously since the health of Lindeners continues to be at stake.

Lindeners have to make the choice between being unemployed or being affected by the dust, since the bauxite company is the major employer in the mining town.
Currently, there are approximately 600 employed at BMGG and if the company should shut shop, many mouths in Linden will be hungry. It is a case of choosing between the lesser evils and in this case Lindeners prefer to be fed.
The government has been subsidising electricity for the mining town for decades as a result of the environmental issues resulting from bauxite mining. In 2012, the former administration made a decision to cut the subsidy and this resulted in a deadly protest which cost the lives of three Lindeners. Residents continue to hold the unanimous position that they should be compensated in some way for inhaling bauxite dust daily, thus being exposed to respiratory diseases.