Local authorities request more drastic measures against persons who burn leaves

Local authorities request that more severe measures are applied to those persons who burn leaves. The interim mayor of Chisinau Municipality, Vasile Ursu, acknowledged, as part of a working meeting at the City Hall, on Monday, October 23, that the burning of leaves is carried on despite the municipality’s prohibition in this sense. The Mayor mentioned that the Ecologist Movement of Chisinau should inform the population about the noxious effect of leaves’ burning. He also requested that those 300 policemen who act in the municipality involve more actively in counteracting this phenomenon and discovering those who burn leaves. At the same time, the Mayor requested that district offices examine the possibility of involving students in the activities of cleaning the city, including those of collecting leafage. According to his words, student syndicates informed the City Hall that students would like to work for cleaning the city in order to gain some additional money. Vasile Ursu mentioned that authorities would solve the problem of financial resources needed for the transportation of leafage; the money would be allocated from the Ecological Republican Fund, according to a promise of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. The Sanitary Doctor of Chisinau, Iurie Panzaru, declared as part of the meeting, that an ample inspection was carried out last week of different economic agents, after which different sanctions were applied for burning leaves. According to Panzaru, “preventive medicine can not stay at each cluster of leaves”, and that education of population is needed. Hydro-meteorological State Service launched recently an information warning that the burning of the leaves is hazardous to population’s health as well as for the environment. According to the experts, in the days with moist air and fog, micro-particles of smoke interact with water vapors, forming oxidant smog, which is harmful especially for the respiratory system. A serious consequence of the incomplete burning of the leaves is the fact that cellulose form polycyclic combinations which are persistent organic pollutants (POP). The most dangerous impact is that of benzopyrene which can cause cancer.