חYaffe is hit by extremely high morbidity rates. The residents of the city traveling on Histadrut Boulevard are hit with a strong smell of stench. The passengers on Route 22 are also well aware of the harsh smells, especially in the evening and at night. At night, when the inversion phenomenon increases, a cloud of pollution descends on Haifa from the factories and envelops the houses on the Carmel. All Haifa neighborhoods are hit, it's just a question of the wind direction.
Sources of air pollution in Haifa:
Pollution from vehicles, pollution from factories, dust and more.
Pollution is divided into two types: particles and gases. In the field of monitoring, currently only the large airborne particles are monitored in the Haifa region. The small particles and gases are not monitored. Some of the gases are toxic and according to experts they are a major cause and morbidity on the one hand and are not monitored on the other hand. Mayor Yona Yahav, for his part, has been claiming for years that this is only an image problem And that the residents of Haifa breathe the cleanest air in Israel. We did not find any Haifa who believed Yona Yahav's version...
Below you will find all the articles related to air pollution in Haifa.
Substantial contradictions in the reports of the Ministry of Environmental Protection - in air pollution tests in Haifa Bay!
A letter to the director of the Haifa district in the Ministry of Environmental Protection
In honor of: Mr. Shlomo Katz
District Manager
Ministry of Environmental Protection - Haifa
Dear Shlomo,
Greetings,
I would appreciate it if you could explain to us the amazing gap between what the Ministry of Environmental Protection published on the website and what you provided last year, regarding the manual tests of carcinogenic substances in Haifa Bay. See below a publication in the article of Revital Hovel in "Haaretz" from yesterday 30-12-12. Below are selected excerpts from the article:
http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/science/1.1896452" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Ministry of Environmental Protection modeled the air pollution in Haifa only 5 days in two years
According to a report published on the ministry's website, many carcinogenic substances are not monitored at the permanent stations and test tubes must be taken manually to test them - they were not tested at all!
· Revital Haval 30.12.2012 15:06
"A report published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection reveals that since the Clean Air Law came into effect, about two years ago, the ministry's inspectors have devoted only five days to the important task they are entrusted with - taking air pollution samples in the Haifa Bay area. According to the plan that the ministry set for itself in order to meet the goals of the Clean Air Law, the inspectors were supposed to work on the said craft for at least 26 days each year....
In the testing program established by Dr. Aviva Trachtman from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, it is written that "the tests will be conducted once every two weeks (every 15 days), that is, 26 times a year... It should be noted that according to the literature, in order to obtain an annual average concentration, 52 measurements must be made per year, that is, once a week However, the report posted on the Ministry's website for public review reveals that in 2012-2011 the materials were measured for five days only, twice in December 2011 and three times between May and July 2012. Only two materials were measured for six days....
The report itself presents alarming data on the air quality in the Haifa Bay area and lists many deviations in relation to what is permitted - which only reinforces the need for strict enforcement...
At the conference held last September, the representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection presented similar data, and according to them, too few sampling days were indeed conducted in the Gulf region. In response to "Haaretz"'s request, the ministry rejected the claims and claimed that "in 2012, no less than 550 tests were performed in the Haifa area and hundreds more tests are expected to be performed by the end of the year." They also added in their response at the time that in 2011 200 tests were performed....
The Ministry of Environmental Protection also stated that... "The claim that in the last two years sampling was carried out for only five days, is false and denies any foundation..."
In light of the apparent puzzling contradictions in the reports issued by your office, an honest and open clarification is required that would explain this deficiency, which was apparently discovered, in light of the Public Health Coalition's appeal to you and in light of the aforementioned article.
Needless to say, what are the serious consequences of this kind of contradiction and even more so of not performing the required tests on your part, which, even if they were carried out according to the plan, are far from what is required in reformed countries and according to the accepted standards in the world.
If we add to the interest the serious failures of the Union of Cities for Environmental Quality in Haifa, led by Mr. Yona Yahav (as the State Comptroller's report recently published and as we have repeatedly argued in recent years) it seems that the fate and health of the residents of the area are allegedly neglected by the authorities that were supposed to monitor For that!
June 2012
Improving air quality - the goal of all of us
A call to associations, organizations, activists and interested parties
Contact the Public Health Coalition
and get an answer on air quality
Good air quality is one of the indicators of the health of a community. It is appropriate that those involved (employees, volunteers and interested parties) in the field of health, environment, welfare, education and employment, receive a reliable picture of the air we all breathe. On the other hand, the information received is often not accessible to the public - the reports are written in professional language, are understandable to a very limited audience, and include many areas of knowledge.
The Public Health Coalition, which believes that every resident has the right to clean air and to work for good air quality, invites you to receive advice, information and guidance from us in the following areas:
· Opinions on data from the authorities
· Analysis of air test results
· Comparing values and standards between what is acceptable in Israel and other countries
· Lectures and trainings regarding the Clean Air Law
· Instructions for locating relevant information on the net
· Recommendations regarding air testing
Email inquiries: [email protected], [email protected]
Inquiries by phone: 077-4140212
For more information about us: http://www.phc.org.il" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;