Residents in Port Harcourt, Rivers  State have exclaimed as black soot permeates the air.

It is no longer strange to go out fully adorned in white and return home covered in black dust.Homes are not spared as the soot filters in through open doors and windows to accumulate on surfaces. Even animals have been ‘sooted’ up as it is now rare to see an Egret in its original white plumage.

The oil hub popularly referred to as the garden city in the past was so called because of its abundant supply of soaring palm trees and greenery.

Several hashtags such as #sootPHC and #stopthesoot have been created on social media, Twitter in particular, to bring to the fore the thick blanket of soot that seems to be hovering over the city.

No Photoshop!!
No exaggeration!!!!#SootPHC
What is being done???
Lives are at stake!!! pic.twitter.com/mVSsyU0IIx

— Kate Henshaw (@HenshawKate) April 4, 2018

Black particles appear in the early hours of the morning and become very apparent especially when one glides their hand over a vehicle’s surface.

This environmental menace has numerous side effects on health, the knowledge of this is scaring and angering residents of the city who claim nothing is being done to protect their health.

Airborne soot particle is practically invisible, an average dust particle is 40 microns, one micron equals one-millionth of a meter, and average soot particles measure only 2.5 microns. Often referred to as PM 2.5 particles.

The contaminants easily penetrate lungs, skin, and eyes, once soot enters your bloodstream, it can cause a wide array of serious health issues, including respiratory issues, shortness of breath, bronchitis, asthma, watery eyes and a runny nose to a persistent cough, stroke, heart attack, cancer, and premature death.

Individuals with existing health issues are at the greatest risk from toxic compounds. Compromised immune systems, respiratory problems, and heart conditions.

Even infants are not left out of the grave side effects, short-term exposure has been shown to have lifelong health consequences, permanently altering developing respiratory systems of children.

We really hope that the appropriate agencies stand up to this menace and nip it in the bud early enough.