Depends on what was stored at the landfill. At the very least you will have smog considerations that generally cause problems for the sick or elderly. Beyond that, there are many chemicals that when burned release toxic smoke. I'd recommend getting checked out by a doctor and only returning when they have tested the air at the location. Further, given the chance of toxic leaks into the ground water, you may want to look into if the water has been tested.

I am not sure the standards for the country you live in, nor your financial situation. Clearly being away from your home for a long period of time can be very taxing on a budget, so these are decisions you have to make for what is best for you and your family.

The landfill site in question is the one at Beetham where it appears 12 fires were deliberately set, all but two have been extinguished.

The site accepts domestic and commercial waste, harmful material is not supposed to be dumped but should be handled separately. The bulk of the waste that’s on fire will therefore be everyday materials such as plastics, fabrics, paper products etc.

The different chemicals that are used in the production of these materials means that the smoke will contain a very significant number of different chemicals, some of which will be toxic if inhaled in high enough concentrations, but for that to happen you would have to be located close to the fires, so close that you’d probably be on the landfill site itself or the immediate surroundings.

Smoke from a fire mixes with the surrounding air and is diluted, the further from the seat of the fire the lower the concentrations of smoke. Although Beetham is on the outskirts of PoS, it’s likely that the smoke will have been diluted to such an extent as to not pose a serious danger to health for most of the residents.

Those at highest risk will be people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, as well as those with weakened respiratory systems such as the elderly and very young.

For most people the smoke will be a mild irritant, it could cause some coughing and slight discomfort but nothing more.

I suspect that for most people the evacuation was a precautionary measure. However, the T&T Solid Waste Management Company together with the fire service and local authority should know exactly what’s on fire and what risk it poses, heed their advice.

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the possible impacts that a proposed project may have on the environment, consisting of the environmental, social and economic aspects.

The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider the environmental impacts when deciding whether or not to proceed with a project. The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental impact assessment as "the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made."

A landfill can be filled with just about anything. Most likely the evacuations were precautionary. I would say you can expect continued good health but I would continue to monitor it, your health and the fumes.

If you can have an adult help you search the internet you would have gotten answers almost instantly

http://www.minnpost.com/community-voices...

there is this landfill burning in my country which is 1 mile away from the capital city. Everyone including myself was evacuated unfortunately most people inhaled the smoke which originated from the landfill. What health complications can we expect ?

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