Since May 27, the citizens of Santiago no longer have access to information about the level of contaminants in their air because of a resolution recently published in the official government gazette. The public’s right to know is now subject to the discretion of the National Environmental Commission (CONAMA), which coordinates government policies regarding the environment.

Among other restrictions, citizens will no longer have access to the information that forms the basis for air quality standards and emission controls, or the pollution levels that affect their health and quality of life. The measure is part of a process of environmental deregulation being applied by the administration of President Ricardo Lagos, under pressure from the most powerful industrial interests of the country (LP, July 1, 2002).

This is happening at a time when severe episodes of pollution have more than doubled in Santiago in comparison with previous years, an indication that measures to protect air quality in the capital during the southern hemisphere winter have failed again.

Recent studies indicate that when the Index of Air Quality for Particulate Matter (ICAP) goes above 100, the impact of air pollution on health results in increased sickness and death.

Results obtained by Luis Cifuentes, a Catholic University of Chile engineer, indicate that between 4 percent and 11 percent of non-accidental deaths registered in Santiago can be attributed to moderate levels of contamination — an ICAP above 300. These are considered premature deaths. In other words, contamination worsened the condition of people suffering from cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, resulting in death that might have occurred years later according to the normal progression of the disease.

On June 2, Andrei Tchernitchin, head physician at the Laboratory for Experimental Endocrinology and Environmental Pathology at the University of Chile, warned of a sharp rise in premature deaths in the capital after one or two days of exposure to high concentrations of breathable particulates.

Besides worsening congestion and bronco-pulmonary problems, exposure to air pollution creates conditions favorable to respiratory viruses present during winter months.

This phenomenon primarily affects the western areas of the capital, where the poorest neighborhoods are located. Residents suffer from the accumulation of contaminants carried there by winds and as a result are subject to greater health risks.

In those places, furniture, walls, curtains and anything else exposed to smog acquire a gray color in 10 days. Western Santiago is also the area with the greatest incidence of respiratory congestion during the winter months.

What may prove most dangerous for those who live in that area of the capital, however, is that the prevention measures such as "Environmental Alert" or "Pre-emergency," which close certain industries and restrict the number of cars and buses allowed on roads, are decided by taking a 24-hour air quality average.

With this system people may be exposed to critical or dangerous levels of contamination for several hours until the cycle to determine the average used by the government to take protective measures is completed.

The number of critical air-quality episodes in Santiago has gradually increased during recent years. As of May 6, there had been 12 environmental-alert days and four pre-emergency days this year. In the same period last year, there were nine alerts and two pre-emergencies, and in 2001 there were just six alerts and no pre-emergencies.

Various sectors of society have criticized the government’s lack of political will to tackle this issue, citing the restriction of free access to information as one example. Manuel Baquedano, president of the Institute on Ecological Policy, has pointed out "that this way people will not be able to know for sure the pollution levels that affect their health, thus exposing them to a new form of psychological torture: environmental silence."

One of the most frequent objections made by experts is the slow progress in producing legislation to control the most dangerous particulates — which are smaller than 2.5 microns and can enter the body though the respiratory system. Legislation should establish levels to determine severe episodes. In January 2001 a deadline was set to have a bill presented to congress by mid-2003, but citizens are still in the dark.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Region’s Prevention and Decontamination Plan, formulated in 2001, has yet to be enacted.

Nevertheless, some measures included in the plan have already been applied, such as reducing the number of companies required to shut down during an environmental emergency from 2,000 to 500. There is also a prohibition against the use of fireplaces in homes, although there is little local governments can do about it because funding has not been provided for enforcement.

 

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