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EHCON INSPECTS SCHOOL, DISCOVERS SOLAR POWER FACILITY IN SCHOOL EMITTING TOXIC SUBSTANCE

    Dr. Ahmed Baba Yakubu

The Environmental Health Council of Nigeria

(EHCON) paid a visit to Junior Secondary School (GSS) Gui in the Abuja Municipal

Area Council (AMAC) to assess the health

impact of damaged solar batteries.

The school, which has about 300 students

and also teachers in the Federal Capital Territory, shares boundary with Sauka Community, along the Airport road, where discovered to be at risk of contracting lung infection and brain damage as a result of some damaged solar

batteries located within the school premises

A visit to the school by the investigation team

on Monday revealed that the nearly 50 panels were installed in the school due to the absence of electricity in the community.

The school was built in 2019 by the Office of the

Senior Special Assistant to the President on

Sustainable Development Goals OSSAP-SDGs

Abuja.

EHCON Deputy Registrar, Dr Andy Ukah

confirmed that the emission would likely

trigger health risks in the school and the

entire community if unchecked.

Dr. Andy Ukah confirmed that the investigation was directed by the Minister of Environment, Barr. Muhammad Abdullahi upon receiving information on environmental pollution in the area.

He explained that the incident occurred on Thursday March 9, 2023, when the batteries were seen emitting smoke and gaseous substance while the school was in session.

Ukah, who is also the National Coordinator, National Institute of Environmental Health, described the incidence as a public health emergency that required urgent attention.

The Director of Junior Secondary Schools, FCT

Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) Hajiya Rahmatu Nusa, linked the emission to continuous charging of the batteries without discharging energy.

She noted that as soon as the incident

occurred on Thursday, that the batteries were turned off to avoid damages in the school.

Furthermore, the Air Quality Monitoring Consultant, EHCON, Dr Fatima Mohammed stated that a good Samaritan reported the incident on Friday, March 10th, 2023, enabled the EHCON to immediately swing into action and discovered that the entire surrounding was filled with rotten smell.

Dr. Fatima explained that given her knowledge of air quality assurance, it was clearly suspected that the batteries were emitting hydrogen sulphur dioxide, adding that it would take up to 48 days to clear from the environment.

She, however, lamernted that the facility is not safe for the storage of solar batteries, saying that an air conditioner is supposed to be installed in the solar batteries' store including two windows to pave the

way for adequate cross ventilation.

The Environmental Health Officer maintained

that if the swollen batteries should bust, it

could trigger fire outbreak in the school, while also 

lamenting that the batteries released harmful

and colourless gaseous substance that has odour, suspected to be hydrogen sulphide.

She noted that the gaseous substance are

irritants capable of irritating the skin, eyes,

nose and throat, saying that constant

exposure could affect the lungs and cause

brain damage.

A solar panel expert, Engr Kingsley Nwigwe of the 

W. Wireless Mechatronics Abuja, said that

some of the batteries were swollen, which led to the emission. He suggested a routine check on the facility every three months, as the battery emitted some gaseous elements that are harmful to human health.

"It has a controller that regulates the charging

system but in as much as the battery is

unused, it replaces the energy being used. But in a scenario like after school period, the system will be charging and when there is a controller that controls the charging system, it Will never overcharge even when its not in

use.

"But if some batteries are bad, it keeps receiving energy even when they never get filled up. Some will get swollen if they are over charged, " he added.

The Principal of the school, Adamu Danlami

said that he was on official duty outside the

school when the incident happened, noting

that he immediately directed that thhe

batteries should be switch off.

As at the time of filing this report further investigations including air quality index and particulate analysis is ongoing. We shall keep you updated as the news unfolds.