The environment plays a huge part in the human development and when one is exposed to a toxic environment such as one near mines then the body is bound to react against it.
During the research from the Bench Marks Foundation, David van Wyk and his team have found that there were numerous of people Riverlea residents with some sort of skin disorder. The two main skin disorders that were found are psoriasis and eczema.
Anthony Merton, Riverlea Extension resident, does not live far from the Mooifontein tailings and has been suffering from psoriasis for about 10 years. Psoriasis is a chronic condition where skin cells rapidly build up and this causes scaling.
Merton’s legs are inflamed and red which is common for one suffering from this disorder. The scales form a thick whitish layer with red patches in between.
He explained that sometimes it gets really itchy, cracks and then bleeds. A simpler explanation of the disorder is that normal skin cells shed and fall off but people such as Merton’s cells build up.
He uses special soap and ointments to try to ease the pain. According to Merton, he used to go for photo treatment but it became too costly an exercise for him.
A common skin disorder found in many households in Riverlea is eczema. Many children have this disorder and because of the low-income bracket which Riverlea falls under, many cannot afford to purchase the required treatment for the skin.
Children are found walking around with dry flaky rough skin which also appears red and it can become very itchy and often bleeds. There are various types of eczema.
Doctors cannot say exactly what causes eczema but research has found that these are the common contributing: genetics, abnormal function of the immune system, environment, activities that may cause the skin to be more sensitive, defects in the skin barrier that allow moisture out and germs in.
According to an online article found at https://academic.oup.com, the skin is the largest organ in the body and one of its main functions is to protect the body from noxious substances, whether they are ultraviolet radiation, toxic chemicals or prolonged or repeated exposure to water.
It is the level of exposure that determines if damage to the organism will result.
Riverlea residents, especially those living in Extension are more exposed to the toxic sand which blows over their homes, due to the mining and the acids in the sand the dust has toxic substances which can have a major effect on residents’ skins.
Social Media Platforms for News:
Twitter: @SowetoUrban, Facebook: Soweto Urban News, Instagram: @SowetoUrban
News site 1: Westside-Eldos Urban News, News site 2: Soweto Urban News
