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Black Smoke Makes the Nation Sick
W e need to live in order to do everything else. Even if we live, we cannot do much if we fall sick. What if we force innocent poor people to fall sick due to our own ignorance and selfishness? We talk about black smoke emitted by vehicles and health. Last week the media revealed that 30 percent of seven (7) million vehicles run all over the country emit black smoke. This is serious because it is poor people without vehicles who walk along public roads and use non-air-conditioned public transport services, get cancer and all other health issues due to this condition. According to the media reports published and aired last week, the Vehicular Emission Test Trust Fund said that 30 per cent of Sri Lanka’s vehicles emit black smoke. It added that health units have revealed that the toxic gases in the black smoke emitted by the vehicles may cause cancer and respiratory diseases. Billowing black smoke is generally a sign that the fuel-air ratio in the engine is too rich. This means that the fuel injectors are either adding too much fuel or that the intake valves aren’t letting enough air in. This could be caused by a leaking fuel injector, a faulty fuel pressure regulator, or a bad air filter. Vehicles cannot run along roads by themselves and there should be drivers in them. There are owners and drivers for some vehicles such as buses and lorries. What we observe during our day-to-day travel along public roads in Sri Lanka is not satisfactory at all and almost all speak about it, but no one takes action. There is no way to take any action. Unfortunately, people who inhale black smoke just forget it after inhaling it. They regret it only when their doctor tells them that they suffer from lung cancer and live another few months but then it is too late. The most pathetic situation is that it is poor people who face this fate because it is they who walk along public roads or use public transport without air conditioning and inhale the black smoke. The damage caused by black smoke to rich people is less when compared with poor people. It is good to check the actual numbers. Seventy per cent (70%) out of seven million is 2.1 million vehicles. What we observe is much higher than this. It is buses that belong to the State and private sector which emit black smoke often. Those buses are being used to transport people. The other main culprit is huge lorries. This does not mean that other types of vehicles do not emit black smoke. All vehicles which emit black smoke have owners and drivers. All vehicles need to obtain a Vehicle Emission Certificate. Who is wrong? What is wrong? How did it go wrong? Black Smoke consists of fine particulate matter. These particles can be hazardous to health, especially in combination with other pollutants which can adhere to the particulate surfaces. Black Smoke is emitted mainly from fuel combustion. When ignited, mixtures of potassium chlorate, charcoal and anthracene (or naphthalene) produce black smoke. These smokes are immediately dangerous and are responsible for asphyxiation, coughing and burning sensations on the eyes, nose and skin, a reduction in lung function and, in more severe cases, death. People have to suffer from lung cancer for a significant period of time before they die. The healthcare cost goes to the state. Emission standards are the legal requirements governing air pollutants released into the atmosphere. Emission standards set quantitative limits on the permissible amount of specific air pollutants that may be released from specific sources over specific timeframes. An Emission Limit can be expressed as, for example, the mass of a pollutant per unit volume passing through a stack or, alternatively, as a total mass emission of a pollutant over a given period, e.g., tonnes/year. Emitting black smoke can be prevented very easily. People should keep the Air Filters of their vehicles clean. They should regularly clean or replace the air filter to ensure proper airflow to the engine. They should avoid overloading the vehicle. Overloading the vehicle can cause the engine to work harder than necessary, leading to excessive fuel burning and black smoke from the exhaust. Present day vehicle owners and drivers are a part of Sri Lankan society. The first thing is they DO NOT care about others. They are too lazy. So, they do not keep the air filters clean. They need to earn the maximum profit and always overload vehicles, especially buses and lorries. The issue cannot be solved that easily because by now the entire country is trying to cheat. Cheating has become one of the accepted traditions here in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the solution that should be given needs to be modern, practical and effective. Introducing a WhatsApp number is one solution. The only problem here is the confidentiality of the complainer. It will not be practical at all if the relevant officer/officers hand over the telephone number of the complainer to the culprit. The problem is money can make even tables and chairs talk!
Publish Date : 2023-10-15 19:30:00
Image and News Source : dailynews
