Dear Editor,

We are poisoning our environment. At the present rate of pollution, we will ultimately destroy ourselves. We are living in modern times and yet, in Jamaica, we seem to be in the dark ages when it comes to waste management initiatives.

There seems to be a lack of awareness in the general population of the importance of proper waste management practices. Products which contain heavy metals, whether municipal or industrial waste, can have devastating consequences on the ecosystem. These products are casually placed in aquatic ecosystems (the sea and river), and even in the soil in which food is grown. The farmer and the fisherman, the unfortunate victims, are exposed to the heavy metals that we help to put in these systems.

The cycle is vicious, as these heavy metals go into our ground provisions and into the seafood that we love so dearly. We help to put them there. And we ultimately consume them.

The toxic effects of heavy metals have been well documented. Some heavy metals of concern are: chromium, cadmium, zinc, and mercury. Heavy metals can also be incorporated on the food chain. They have a vast impact on both aquatic and terrestrial life, especially regarding toxicity to humans, and also the development of diseases caused by heavy metal accumulation in the human body.

Although the local media has given a lot of environmental awareness tips, conversion to being a more environmentally aware country is a long way to go. We need to be more environmentally conscious in our efforts to minimise heavy metal pollution in our soil and waters. Our lack of concern for environmental pollution will ultimately lead to our ruin.

Ainsely Lewis

Graduate student,

Trent School of the Environment, Trent University

Peterborough, ON, Canada