Steps Not Taken to Prevent Smog in Santiago de Chile

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Mi Smog, Tu Smog

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The Santiago Metro (underground, tube, subway, subté) is sleek and runs on time. It's also a an efficient vehicle for self-referential public service propaganda. For a while their posters and words lining station walls and stairways were pushing the "let people off the train before you push your way on" message. Lately, they've been taking a bite out of the crossing over the yellow line issue. In one Metro station a two-story high wall was covered in an ad warning people to stay behind the yellow line.

Metro can laugh at itself. One season it made a slew of puns about the fact that its name is also a unit of measurement, and when Transantiago sent the city underground, Metro warned us in advance we'd all have to learn how to share our square meter (metro cuadrado) of space. Every campaign ends with the same slogan, one about sharing:

Mi Metro, Tu Metro.

Irresistible. Of course, the masses continue to assault train cars without letting passengers off first, but at least they know what they're doing is wrong. And I've begun to notice that now, unlike before, even in the vastest sea of oncoming human traffic, a Way is made (albeit thinly) for escape.

Not surprising that a combination of will, money and talent yields measurable results. If they were estimating a certain 20% effectiveness, they got it and it was worth every penny.

If only such public service could rise above the platforms.

Come smog, Santiago has an after-the-bomb sort of feel. It hit pre-emergency levels again yesterday, and a photo in El Mercurio shows a thick bar of brown black smoke blocking out the view, not only of the Andes right next to the city, but of Cerro San Cristobal right in the center of town. Only its peak is visible.

Yet while most people are happy to complain about it, there seems to be a complete lack of consciousness that personal choices one makes can contribute to, or diminish, the level of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter in the air.

Not one peso that I know of has been spent on public awareness campaigns about how ordinary citizens can reduce emissions. Political leaders like Lagos, who was absurdly decorated with a UN Environmental position after an atrocious environmental presidency, go on record blaming Argentina.

Cars and trucks, which contribute at least 50% of Santiago's smog, are theoretically controlled by smog checks and big fines for drivers who hit the roads without proper emissions controls. But El Mercurio reports that for the 70,000 trucks on the road, only 350 inspectors are assigned to regulating them. That's 214 trucks a day per inspector. That's totally ridiculous. And the law for cars is also way too lax: even if emission control was enforced, it's open season after 10 O'Clock at night: no catalytic converter, no problem.

And for all the government's complaining about the poor people burning wood, there are only seven house-to-house inspectors assigned good days, 11 on alert days, and 20 on pre-emergency days. A couple weeks ago, when Santiago smog hit pre-emergency levels, only one house was cited for burning wood. In some slums there are about 50,000 wood burning stoves. Health functionary Mauricio Osorio points out that a lot of people simply didn't let the inspectors in.

Also, only 15% of polluting factories were checked out.

Meanwhile El Mercurio also reports that respiratory illness has jumped up 30%. Since the 20th of May a daily average of 1,000 people have gone to the doctor with respiratory illness, with 100 hospitalizations, mostly children.

Lack of strong public policy is directly damaging the lungs of children, increasing cancer and death rates. The city should increase and enforce emissions laws. Hire more inspectors and create incentives for people to let you in. Also, subsidize cleaner heating for poorer homes. Impound cars without catalytic converters, increase taxes on car purchases. Regulate 100% of polluting factories, including those that burn tires all night long. Call pre-emergency levels every single time they happen.

Start a public awareness campaign against smog. Chile's state coffers are overflowing due to copper revenue, and Chile can dump billions into roads and a failed Transantiago. Money is not an excuse.

And one more thing, Santiago: set better standards! Cincinnati just issued government alerts because smog bumped up to PM-90. In Santiago, that's classified as "Good". And Transantiago promised (and didn't succeed) to end the gov't declaration of pre-emergency levels.

But that's not a goal! The goal should be PM-30 maximum. In Santiago, a maximum of PM-300 is permissable.

Also, start measuring Carbon Monoxide levels. A University of Chile study indicates the city is missing half of the real pre-emergency levels because carbon monoxide is not being measured.