Grantley Adams International Airport Incinerator Smoke Continues to Impact Nearby School, Barbados Union of Teachers Urges Members to Prioritize Health and Safety

Acrid smoke billowing from the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) incinerator continues to cause environmental issues at the nearby St Bartholomew Primary School, prompting the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) to tell its members to put their health and safety first even if their actions disrupt classes.

The union’s advice to members came even as airport spokeswoman Sharleen Browne said that management was in the process of finding a sustainable solution to the problem.

BUT President Rudy Lovell told Barbados TODAY that as many as five teachers at the Parish Land, Christ Church school had to seek medical attention because the smoke from the incinerator had been affecting their respiratory system from the start of the new school term last week.

While he said that he did not want to disrupt Class 4 students’ preparation for the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination in May, his membership was instructed not to compromise their health.

“We don’t want this to impact on the preparations for the 11-plus exam. This is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed and we cannot play with the health and safety of people in any way. We do not know what is being burnt in the incinerator and we are deeply concerned,” said Lovell.

“The Ministry of Education has been made aware through conversations and messages on WhatsApp, and while the problem really lies with the airport, any action taken by the teachers cannot be condemned by anyone; you can’t expect teachers, children and ancillary staff to remain in an environment that is making them sick. So far, there have been four to five persons attached to that school that developed thyroid problems and those problems were presumably linked to the smoke coming from the incinerator at the airport.”

Lovell said that when he visited the school on Wednesday morning, several teachers were complaining of breathing ailments.

“Even myself as soon as I got on the compound was feeling an itch in my throat,” the union boss said.

He explained that the incinerator smouldered mostly in the morning as the school opened, leaving a pungent odour.

The union had raised concerns about the incinerator smoke several times in 2023.

Lovell said: “The incinerator was smouldering and this has impacted the respiratory systems of teachers and some persons had to seek medical attention. This issue was highlighted by the BUT last year. We held a meeting with representatives from the airport sometime last year and we were given assurances that measures would be put in place to rectify the problem, but it appears that the problem still exists. The union is calling on the management of the airport to resolve this issue.”