Not only does it have an impact on the environment, the danger of indiscriminate burning of garbage can also threaten human health and cause various problems, ranging from respiratory problems to chronic diseases.
Although at first glance it looks practical and the garbage disappears immediately, burning garbage openly can be harmful to health in the long run. The reason is, the smoke from burning garbage contains harmful chemicals that can cause air pollution.
The Danger of Burning Garbage
The danger of burning waste can arise in the following ways:
Inhaling burning smoke
Smoke from burning any kind of waste, be it plastic, wood, paper, leaves, or glass, releases many toxic pollutants, namely carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, arsenic, dioxins, furans, and VOCs.
People who are in the vicinity of the burning site, especially children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with a history of heart and lung disease, are at high risk of experiencing health problems due to inhaling these materials. It also depends on how long and how often they are exposed to smoke from burning waste.
Health problems that arise can vary, such as:
- Cough
- Red or watery eyes
- Nose feels sore like burning
- Rash
- Nauseous
- Headache
- Asthma attacks in asthmatics
Not only that, one of the biggest concerns from open burning of waste is the health risks arising from exposure to dioxins into the air. Long-term exposure to this substance is at risk of causing:
- Certain types of cancer
- Heart trouble
- Immune system disorders
- Reproductive system disorders
Eating food contaminated with ash and smoke
In addition to smoke, burning garbage openly will produce ash residue that can contain toxic metals, such as mercury, lead, and arsenic.
Unaware of the potential dangers, some people may bury the ashes from burning in the ground, so that they can be absorbed by the vegetable or fruit plants that grow around them. As a result, humans can also be exposed if they eat these vegetables and fruits.
Not only in plants, these harmful substances can even be contained in milk, meat, and eggs from exposed animals. These foods can then affect human health, if consumed in the long term. These health problems include:
- High blood pressure
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Kidney damage
- Brain damage
Play around the burnt area
The ash from the burning can also harm children playing around the area. They may accidentally ingest soil that has been contaminated with toxic ash. In fact, the ash can remain for a long time around the combustion environment, including at home.
In addition, the danger of burning garbage openly without supervision can also cause unplanned fires.
How to Avoid the Danger of Burning Garbage
Not only harmful to health, law number 18 of 2008 concerning Waste Management prohibits the burning of waste that is not in accordance with the technical requirements of waste management.
Therefore, it is important for us to know how to properly manage waste, such as:
- Reduce waste by preferring products in large packages over small plastic packages, as well as refillable and recyclable products over single-use products
- Reusing items that can still be used
- Donate items you no longer need, such as clothes, books, or furniture
- Reprocessing organic waste into compost, for example waste generated from the kitchen
- Dispose of waste through the Final Processing Site (TPA) staff, if you can't process your own waste
To protect yourself, your family, and others from the dangers of burning trash, avoid burning trash from now on and do the simple ways above consistently. Thus, the air will remain clean and fresh to breathe.
If you are too often exposed to smoke from burning garbage around your environment and experience health complaints, don't hesitate to consult a doctor.
