Introduction
According to Unuraye (2009), environmental regulation policy is a frame work of all concept principle and procedure of person organization or government in maintaining a sound and sustainable natural environment. This environmental regulation policy focuses on problems arising from human impacts on the environment and society. Non-enforcement of environment of environmental regulation, policy has leads to growing of weeds found around our residential and industrial premises which provides hiding place for dangerous reptiles and vermin’s such as snakes, scorpions and mosquito etc that are agent of disease transmission in our environment..
Environmental regulation policy also is any course of action deliberately taken or not taken into manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce or mitigate harmful effect on nature and natural resources and to ensure that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effect on human (McCormick, 2001).
Environmental regulation, policy is to achieve a sustainable, to improve and secure their health and wellbeing of the community (Eccleston, 2012). Unuraye further stated the effect of non-enforcement of environmental regulation, policy as leads to growing of weeds round our residential and industrial premises which provides hiding place for dangerous reptiles and vermin’s such as snakes, scorpions and mosquitoes etc. that are agent of disease transmission in our environment.
These has made the researcher deemed necessary to take a critical look on non-enforcement of environmental regulation, policy, it health implication and proffers solution on the need for enforcement of environmental regulation and policy.
Conceptual framework
Eccleston (2012) stated that environmental regulation policy focus on problems arising from human impact on the environment which have effect on human society by having a negative impact on human values such as good health and green environment.
Augustina (2009) observed that it is obvious today in our community and cities that environmental regulation policy problem are springing up daily as a result of anthropogenic activities, man in an effort to make the best use of resources available in his environment, to satisfy his numerous needs result in our exportation of both renewable and non-renewable resources in the environment in a way that will Jeopardized the activities of the future generation to sustain itself with the available resources. The problem he said are made acute by rapid urbanization and concentrated population growth without commensurate expansion in sanitary facilities which result in poor housing condition, poor ventilation and indoor air pollution, thereby increasing the disease burden within the population. Consequently, those result increase case of food borne disease, cholera, typhoid and malaria etc. as a result of improper disposal of refuse, human waste blocking drainages, flooding and overgrown bushes.
Unuraye (2009) stated that the federal government has take a lot of measures to solve these problems and enacting the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) by decree No. 58 of 1988 when an unfortunate incident of dumping of hazardous toxic waste was found in Koko (FEPA) change to (NESREA) act 2007.
It is also said by the author that other environmental regulation policy was implemented to protect the health of human such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) decree No 56 of 1992 was to prevent industrial pollution influent limitation and solid waste management was also formulated.
Types of some environmental regulation policy
Federal republic of Nigeria with federal ministry of environment outline the types of environmental regulation policy which analysis.
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act Vol. 6, Cap 12 LFN, 2004.
- Blue print of environmental enforcement regulation 2001.
- National environmental health practice regulation of 2007
- Guidelines on hazardous chemicals management, 2001
- Guideline on pesticides management, 2001.
- Blue print on municipal solid wastes management in Nigeria, 2001.
- Blue print on environmental enforcement, 2001.
- Consumer protection council act of 2004, LFN.
Causes of non-enforcement environmental regulation policy
The causes are as follows:
- Lack of communication: Communication plays a vital role in any health program. This means that the health consumer or members of community need to understand clearly what is being sent. This is done by commemorate in a language that could be understood by members of the community.
- Lack of active participation by members: Most health programme in the past has been executed for the community rather by the community.
- Failure to determine the proper need of the community: Need vary from one community to the other. The health workers should therefore find out which need of the community, is most important to them and the one they want to do first.
- Illiteracy: On the part of the residence and occupant in that area.
- Lack of clear policy: Assigning responsibility for environmental sanitation with the level of government.
- Inadequate Sensation and Mobilization of community in planning designing and decision making.
- Inadequate allocation: Of financial resolves to carry out the work.
- Bribery and Corruption among health worker and the public.
Possible solution to the causes of non-enforcement of environmental regulation policy
- Environmental law awareness: Awareness should be made all around the country, in every state and local government area about the state and effects of the pollution of the environment. Advertisement should be made via the media to inform people, also individual and communities should also be encouraged to participate in environmental improvement effort.
- Training: Government should try as much as possible to equip it enforcement agencies on how to ensure the effective enforcement of the environmental regulation in existence, therefore, officers of the agencies should be trained for effective enforcement.
- Effective environmental monitoring: The monitoring of the environment involves checking, observing and recording information about the environment to prevent it from being destroyed by man activities especially those involving technology, to plan for future exploitation of it resources the unpleasant effects of the environmental mismanagement. Environmental instrument should be made available for effective enforcement (Ogidiolu, 2007).
- Provision of fund: More funds should be allocated by the government at all levels to enhance of project geared towards the improvement of the environment.
- Submission of periodic reports.
The public health implication of non-enforcement of environmental regulation policy
David (2009) stated that, one of the most difficult problems in Nigeria on non-enforcement of environmental regulation policy is the area of solid waste management in Urban center especially among low income settlement. The problem of solid waste as a result of non-enforcement of laws; people choose to jump dirt in public drainage in-stead of disposing it off sanitarily. Public center have become waste center, waste is dumped in open space, access road and water bodies.
According to Augustine (2009), dump is invaded by salvagers who seek to earn a living from waste. This illegal act serves a breeding ground for disease vector which leachate peculates the soil to contaminate the underground water. It is common agreement that human activities are degrading the environment e.g. land pollution, water pollution and other harmful activities. He further state that refuse accumulate in a particular place heaped up to become environmental nuisance blocking drain impeding free flow of traffic cause accident as well as emitting offensive odours, breeding flies and discharging of polluted water in the environment.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that pollution is given off by various industries and factors are often considered to be one of the prime factors contributing to air, water, and soil pollution. It estimated that individual pollution is responsible for almost 50 percent of the pollution present.
There are various wide-ranging effects as well as consequence of industrial pollution on human health and the atmosphere.
Global warming
Global warming is one of the most common and serious consequences of industrial pollution. The emission of various green house gases such as Co, Mathane (CH+) among others from various industries increases the overall temperature of the earth resulting in global warming. Global warming has various hazards both on environment as well as human health. Its result in melting of glaciers and snow-capped, mountains, causing an increase of the water level in seas and rivers, whereby increases the change of flood. Apart from this global warming also have numerous health risks on human such as increase of disease such as;
- Skin cancer
- Cholera
- Lyme disease and
- Plaque among others
Air pollution
Industrial pollution as stated above are one of the major causes of air pollution. With the increase in the number of industries and factories also has increased significantly. The emission from various industries contain large amount of gases such as carbon-dioxide, sulphur and nitrogen, among others. These gases are present in elevated level in the atmosphere often result in various environmental and health hazard such as acid rain and various skin cancer in individuals.
Water pollution
Pollution emitted from the industries is also one of the major factors contributing towards pollution. Dumping of various industrial waste product into water sources and improper contamination of industrial waste often result in polluting the water such water pollution disturbs the balance of the ecosystem inside, resulting in the death of animal and plant species present in the water.
Soil pollution
Soil pollution as a phenomenon which the soil lose it structure and fertility due to various natural and artificial reasons. Dumping of industrial waste is one of the prime factors contributing toward soil pollution. Industrial waste contain large amount of various chemical which get accumulated on the top layer of the soil such in fertility ultimately results in changes in the ecological balance of the environment due to reduction in plant growth.
Other common effect
Certain other common effect of industrial pollution includes damaging building and structures, increasing the risk of various occupational hazards such as asbestosis, pneumoconiosis among others.
Health implications of industrial pollution
Industrial activities are major sources of air, water, and lead pollution, leading to illness and loss of life all over the world. World Health Organization estimated that outdoor air pollution alone accounts for around 2% of all heart and lung diseases about 5% of all lung cancers and 1% of all chest infection.
Samet (2000) stated that industrial pollution affect our health in several wages. These include direct irritation of target organs or metabolic changes with cells. For example exposure to two much smoke, fumes or dust evoke a burning sensation in the air ways, lightness in chest and possible suffocation. Sometime, the effect is subtler and may take years to develop. Asbestos fibres for instance are small needle shape silicate crystals that penetrate deep into lung tissue and evoke reaction. It takes around 20 years for some illness to manifest.
The role of environmental health officers in enforcement of environmental regulation policy
According to public health law cap 134 section 6 and 10 stipulate that an environmental health officer has the right to enter in to any premises for the purpose of inspection between the hours of 6. 00 am to 6.00 pm. His role is as follow;
- Improve environmental sanitation practice: Over the years the poor environmental sanitation condition has contributed significantly to the high prevalence rate of communicable disease in the country which includes cholera, typhoid, malaria, dysentery and diarrhoea etc. as s result of this the health officers encourages the enforcement of policy to make ensure that the people health safe and secure.
- Market and abattoirs sanitation: According to Anifiox (2005) noted that market and abattoirs are build without proper lay out and where such layout exist, they have been distorted beside provision of adequate water supply, proper drainage systems, and waste disposal facilities are lacking which result to indiscriminate dumping of refuse, transporting of meat with contaminate vehicles, motorcycle, wheel barrow etc so it is the work of the environmental health officer to discourage such practice by inspection an abattoir during construction and also regulation inspection to make sum that all abattoir and market is up to standard recommend by the public health.
- Food sanitation practice: It is said that the large percentage of those poor go hungry and for the percentage of those that have food, its wholesomeness is questionable. Food meat for sale and human consumption are displayed in open containers thereby exposing the rood to contamination by dust, flies bacterial, virus, and micro-organism. Most of these food handlers are not properly screened for certain communicable infection which can easily be transmitted through food. The poor practice of food sanitation in market have been show to play a significant role in the ecology of food borne disease, this need effective work by the environmental health workers to ensure environment of law so as to encourage food handlers to obtain medical certification of fitness (MCF) before establishing any food premises. The enforcement of federal, state, and local government policy on food sanitation should be encouraged among the health workers (Aibor & Olorunda, 2006). They went further to say that the enforcement of federal, state and local government policy on food sanitation should be encouraged among the health workers.
References
Anifox, M. (2005) Health Safety and Environment: Conference Paper on EHOAN. Abuja.
Buhrs, T. & Mark, E. (2002). Public policy and instrument mixes for environmental policies. New York: Sage
Eccleston, C. & Doub, P. (2012). Preparing NEPA environmental assessment: a users guide to best professional practices. Luton: Appleton
Ecclestoston, C & March, F. (2010). Global environmental policy: principles, concepts and practice. Berlin: Huart Press.
Hanlon, G.J. (2003). Principle of public health medicine for the tropic. London: Stittle Inc.
Hornby, A.S. (2003). Oxford advance learners dictionary of current english. special price edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jordan, A. J. & Adelle, C. (2012). Environmental Communication in the Information Society. London: Macmillan
Knill, C. & Liefferink, D. (2012). The establishment of environmental policy. Retrieved on September 5, 2015 from www.oecd.org/department
Mccormick, J. (2001). Environmental policy in the European Union. Edinburgh: Crest Books
Newton, O. O. (2015). A comprehensive approach to environmental health science. Benin City: Ambik Press
Olorunda, O. David, O, Samuel, K, Mercy, O & Adams, S. (2007). Monitoring and modelling techniques of environmental pollution (1st ed.). Akure: His Mercy Publisher.
Oreyomi, M. K (2008). Environmental health hazard and implication. Lagos: Kinsin Press.
Park, K. (2007). Preventive and social medicine (19th ed). India: M/S Barnasidas Bhanot
Rushefsky, M. E (2001). Environmental policy in New Zealand, the politics of clean environment. Auckland: The Breeze
Unuraye, L. O. (2009). Evaluation, policies, principles and regulation on public health safety and environment (1st ed). Ughelli: Multiplex Limited Publisher.
Unuraye, L.O. & Olojoba A.O. (2005). Fundamental of industrial and environmental health management (1st ed). Ughelli: Ama-Ohoror Printing Press Coy.
World Health Organization Expert Committee (2000). Industrial safety project Geneva: WHO.