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The Indian specter now hangs in the city of Port Harcourt, Rivers state. The region's mining and oil
factories spray the city with black carbon smoke that falls directly onto populated areas, forcing residents
to breathe air filled with microparticles that are toxic to the body.
Soot is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons.
This is more properly limited to the product of the gas phase combustion process but is generally
extended to include residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as coal, cenospheres, charred wood, and crude
oil that may end up suspended in the gaseous air. As this definition explains, they are chemical residues
resulting from the massive exploitation of fuels. When fossil fuels (wood, oil, coal, etc.) are burned, tiny
black and brown particles are left on the surfaces around the fire - this is soot. Usually, this will be
confined to a chimney. Although very small, these particles can contain tiny fragments of dust, soil,
metal, chemicals, and, more dangerously, acids. While soot can be extremely important to many
different industrial processes, like glass making and boiler performance, it can also be incredibly harmful
to the things around it. Anywhere soot lands, acid can damage the surface if allowed to stay over time,
not to mention the air quality of the places located around the site. The harmful effects on the health of
populations are numerous, but the most obvious are:
Asthma: All asthmatics will see their condition worsen due to poor air quality. Additionally, inhaling soot
can cause throat and lung irritation, which has been linked to the development of asthma in children.
This will lead to a vulnerability to infections for the rest of their life.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: When there are particles in the air, the airways have to work
harder and they become inflamed. This can cause the victim to have breathing problems for the rest of
their life. This can cause the lung condition Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This will
increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Eye and Skin Irritation: A less serious, but still unpleasant side effect of soot particles in the air is
irritation of the eyes and skin. The acid and chemicals, in particular, present in soot can cause itching and
discomfort. Soot can also settle on clothes, so the irritation can last for hours as well.
These can affect anyone, but children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of
soot, so all steps must be taken to ensure clean air. What are the consequences
What are the authorities doing?
The answer to this question is simple: nothing has been done so far to stem the problem. The
authorities remain silent on the demands of activists and civil society, and companies continue to pollute
with impunity. Such a situation is already experienced in other parts of the world, such as India or China,
where urban pollution is already part of the daily life of millions of people, causing a significant increase
in lung disease. Is this the fate of the Nigerian authorities for their people by not taking action to stop it?
With an emergency of this nature – the Damocles sword hanging over a city like Port Harcourt, should
the authorities be pretending like nothing is happening?