USC to conduct study on mercury contamination at Inayawan landfill

CEBU, Philippines - A team of faculty and students from the University of San Carlos – Department of Chemistry requests permission from the Cebu City Government to conduct a fate and transport study on mercury at the Inayawan landfill.

The study will investigate the extent of possible mercury contamination in the soil, water, sediment and biological samples from the landfill site. It will be part of their series of closure studies for the site.

Patrick John Y. Lim, coordinator for research and graduate programs, wrote Councilor Nida Cabrera asking permission for an ocular visit where they will identify the sampling sites. Sampling sites maybe inside or around the area.

Lim said that the study is purely for academic purposes but copies of the result will be furnished to Cabrera in case the latter finds them useful.

“Furthermore, results and conclusions of the study pertaining to policy formulation will be submitted to your office,” Lim told Cabrera.

Cabrera is the chairperson of the council’s Committee on Parks and Playground, Wildlife, Ecology and Environmental Management. Results of the study may aid the council in formulating policies that may regulate mercury use and prevent contamination.

The request though was referred to the Department of Public Services for comments and recommendation.

The city government also has to ensure the safety of the researchers when going to the site that is considered a hazard area.

The landfill has been closed by the city government in all forms of dumping since December last year. The city now diverts its garbage to a private landfill in Consolacion.

The result of the study may also complement a proposal raise before the Solid Waste Management Board for the creation of a separate body that will oversee the regulation of hospital wastes and other hazardous substances for disposal.

The proposal to create a separate board for hospital wastes and other toxic substances is triggered by the increasing number of laboratories in the city that disposes hazardous chemicals and other substance.

SWMB presiding officer Janeses “Jade” Ponce said that they do not even know where hospital wastes are being dumped and treated.

Meanwhile, the SWMB is also planning to conduct an inventory of cases filed against violators of the solid waste management ordinance or City Ordinance 2031 and City Ordinance 1361 or the garbage collection system ordinance.

Ponce said that the city needs to be stricter in filing cases because many still violates due to the lenient penalties. He said that all violators must be filed in court immediately and compromise with the fiscal, not with city hall. — (FREEMAN)