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A message circulating on social media falsely claims that the current weather conditions in Sierra Leone constitute extreme air pollution, posing significant health risks.
The message attributes the information to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and includes a list of purported health dangers, such as reduced lung function and respiratory infections.
However, the EPA has categorically denied issuing such a statement. Ishmael Kindama Dumbuya, the External Relations and Advocacy Manager at the EPA-SL, confirmed to Sierra Check that the claim is false and originated from a similar misinformation campaign that circulated last year.
Similarly in February 2024, the EPA-SL issued a statement on its official Facebook page debunking the claims: “Our attention has been called to a notification published on social media that describes high air pollution with serious effects on human health.
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA-SL) desires to alert the general public that no recent standardization was undertaken to arrive at the purportedly identified hazardous risks. The results of our initiatives shall be evidence-based and properly disseminated.”
The EPA emphasized its commitment to conducting evidence-based environmental assessments and encouraged the public to rely on official sources for accurate information regarding environmental and health concerns.
EPA is fully aware of the environmental pollution that the citizens of this country are facing at this very moment. It is rather unfortunate that the EPA is trying to sweep it under grass to prove to the intentional world that there is a lot of work going on here. The level of pollution we are envisaging is alarming and we just at the begin of the dry season.