Scrap smelter, save us from sickness

After reading the comments of many persons I am more concerned about the continuing development of the Alutrint smelter. I think that the smelter was a poor decision from the start. With the tectonic shift in the global economy over the past year it is more likely to be a financial millstone for us. With low demand it may operate below capacity and generate very little revenue. We already have too much pollution from our hydrocarbon industries, steel and cement plants.

Now we are going to add new kinds of pollution from aluminum smelting. The fluorides released from the smelter, either airborne or into the ground water, will likely accumulate in the Gulf of Paria and poison our fisheries.

Given the similarity of the Gulf of Paria to a semi-closed lake with an entrance and exit, it is quite possible for toxic chemicals to accumulate to dangerously high levels. The fluorides used in aluminum smelting are much more toxic than any of the industrial pollutants that we now nonchalantly discharge into our air and water.

Our health care system, which currently cannot cope with the demands made on it, will be overwhelmed with new diseases brought on by the fallout from the smelter. Do we really need more respiratory diseases, cancers or birth defects which will affect future generations? Ninety per cent of all cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors.

Is it too late to change course? Can we not create alternative industries, maybe in recycling and renewable energy technologies which may not be on such a grandiose scale but can still employ people in a sustainable way?

Why not go to the people of La Brea and other areas and have real consultations with them?

Listen to them because they may have better ideas of what can be done under the present circumstances to provide employment and improve the overall quality of life in their community.

It might be better to cut our losses now, scrap the smelter and avoid more serious losses and social disenchantment in the future.

Charles de Matas
Trincity
Trinidad Express (2 March 2009)