CASE STUDY TOPIC: SOLID WASTE CASE

TITLE: THE RIVERTON LANDFILL FIRE - 2015

Course: BIOL265 : Principles of Environmental Health

INTRODUCTION
Designed to highlight the Riverton city fire situation,
which have plagued the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew
and St. Catherine for several years. Posing and
contributing tremendous to the health issues for people
who resides, do businesses, works and go to school in the
geographic location, due to the hazardous pollutant they
are exposed to.

OBJECTIVE
History

of the problem

Risk

assessment

Risk

management

Risk

communication strategies

Vulnerable

Group

Legislation

in Jamaica

Conclusion

HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM

Site

is govern by the National Solid Waste

Management Act 200.

Fire

12

Recurring for the past 12-year

fires over the last 10 years.

HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM

Cause

& Effects

Spontaneous

Hazardous
dioxins,

Short

combustion & Arson

pollutants in the air

carbon monoxide, benzene

and long-term health problems

Health system overwhelmed
Disruption of commercial & schools activities

RISK ASSESSMENT

High 24-hour particulate matter (PM10)

reading detected from air testing

Readings above the WHO 24-hour average standard

(57g/m3 - 192g/m3) were recorded.

At all air monitoring locations for the first eight days of

the fire.

RISK ASSESSMENT

29 test including priority air pollutants and critical air

pollutants.

26 Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), detected including

benzene, toulene and decane.

16 above the lower concentration limit of the analysis method.

VOCs concentration varied

Highest concentrations being observed generally for benzene.

RISK MANAGEMENT
Permits

issued to Nation Solid Waste Management

Authority (NSWMA)

Prevention Programme for the site

Develop

Emergency Response Plan and Facility

Fire Monitoring

Procuring

fire- fighting equipment and conducting

air quality monitoring

RISK COMMUNICATION
Air

quality test conducted by authorised entities

Air

quality monitoring done at designated check

points

Air

monitoring test complied, compared and

analysed to determine findings.

VULNERABLE GROUP

& LEGISLATION IN JAMAICA

Vulnerable Group

Marginalized group
Close proximity
Work & school

Legislation in Jamaica

Governed by the National Solid Waste Management Act 2001.

Lawsuit

National Solid Waste Management in breath of human right.

CONCLUSION

Unequivocally the Riverton City Dump fire in March 2015, was

renowned for the harmful effects of the historic reading of
benzene concentration that the population was exposure to. It
posed tremendous strain on the health system further impairing
it. Commercial and school communities had also encountered
grave inconvenient as it hindered normalcy in daily operations.
A Issue which have been reoccurring for the past 12 years. A
change in operation at the dump though revision of policies is a
step in amending this emerging nuisance which plagued the
residents of these Parishes.