Minister supports Safe Paraffin Appliance Campaign
The Campaign is aimed at raising levels of awareness about illegal manufacturing and distribution of unsafe paraffin products, such as sub-standard paraffin stoves.
The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa, supports the Safe Paraffin Appliance Campaign launched by the Department of Trade and Industry on July 27, 2016.
The Campaign is aimed at raising levels of awareness about illegal manufacturing and distribution of unsafe paraffin products, such as sub-standard paraffin stoves.
Read: Kids learn on paraffin’s safety
“The Safe Paraffin Appliance Campaign is an indication of the commitment by government to ensure that particularly disadvantaged communities are safer and less likely to lose their homes to fires in winter. It is also in line with the Draft Strategy to Address Air Pollution in Dense Low-Income Settlements that is aimed at introducing a coordinated government approach to reducing air pollution,” said Minister Molewa.
Air pollution monitoring data has shown that there are some geographic areas within the country, where ambient air quality standards are being exceeded and this is posing a threat to human health and the environment in those areas.
The household use of some fossil fuels, or dirty fuels, are a major contributor to ambient air quality standards being exceeded in residential areas.
While the problem of residential air pollution is more often than not, associated dense low-income settlements, living conditions and the ability of poorer communities to afford cleaner energy resources are also major contributors.
Air pollution is known to cause illnesses such bronchitis, asthma exacerbation, underweight babies cardiovascular diseases, etc. and death.
The evidence of negative health impacts and mortality from domestic fuel burning is in South Africa has not been properly documented but the existence of these negative impacts cannot be disputed. People living below the poverty line bear practically the entire burden of this health risk. The additional illness- related costs to those affected terms of diminished quality of life and lost capacity to work are also significant.
According to the Draft Strategy to Address Air Pollution in Dense Low-Income Settlements, a local study revealed air pollution related health can cost government approximately R2 Billion per year especially in the winter months (May -July).
