Pit toilets are prevalent in compounds popularly known as face-me-I-face you. Such compounds and buildings comprise of many room compartments, with several tenants. Such toilets are usually holes dug into a ground, and people squat over them to excrete. In the early and late eighties, they were prevalent in areas believed to be ghetto, slums. They are so areas inhabited by people perceived to be ‘the poor’ in the society.
This may come as a shock, but even in this 21st century, people still make sure of pit toilets, despite the fact that a lot of arguments support the fact that users can contract STD from the usage.
This is Wikipedia slant on it; “A pit toilet is a dry toilet system which collects human excrement in a large container and range from a simple slit trench to more elaborate systems with ventilation. They are more often used in rural and wilderness areas as well as in most of the developing world.
The waste pit, in some cases, will be large enough that the reduction in mass of the contained waste products by the ongoing process of decomposition allows the pit to be more or less permanent.
In other cases, when the pit becomes too full, it may be emptied or the hole made be covered with soil and the associated structure moved or rebuilt over a new pit.”
The simple pit latrine is the cheapest and most basic form of improved sanitation available.
This story however is not about pit toilets, but the shocking discovery by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), about what Nigerians these days now do with pit toilets.
With use of over time, the pit toilet usually begins to emit stench and steam (gas). It is this gas, which emits from the hole that some Nigerians now inhale, insisting that it makes them high!
Incredible? While a lot of people would naturally want to use the toilet and dash out, these set of inhalers go into the toilet, place their nostrils into the hole and begin to inhale. And they would want to stay there all day!
Ehow.com says of the steam from pit toilet; “Hydrogen sulfide gas, also known as sewer gas, is the result of bacterial breakdown of organic material, such as human and animal waste. It can also result from industrial processes, such as food processing, leather tanning and the refinement of petroleum. Low-level exposure to sewer gas can make you sick and high-level exposure can kill you.”
Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, spokesman of NDLEA reveals much more about people who are hooked on inhaling steams from pit toilets. Excerpt:
How do people abuse petrol, rubber solution, nail polish cleaner, lizard dung, cough syrup with codein and Zakami?
Unprohibited drugs constitute a challenge because as the name implies, there is no legislation controlling their abuse. These substances are household and freely available products. This simply means that there are no regulating laws guiding such items. Unfortunately, people abuse such items in search of “pleasurable feelings.”
We have observed that some people abuse Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), rubber solution and nail polish cleaner. Some people, particularly commercial motor cyclists immerse handkerchief in petrol and tie it round their nostrils for easy sniffing. They do that to get high.
The whitish end of Lizard dung is equally grinded and sniffed or smoked. Cough syrup with codeine is also abused by drinking several bottles. The seed of Zakami, a local plant found in northern Nigeria is equally abused. It is added to water to absolve the content before drinking. This is a strong stimulant that intoxicates and could even lead to a coma. As weird as it appears, some persons abuse pit toilets.
What’s the health implication/danger of such abuse?
The health implication of this dangerous habit is that it could lead to damage of vital body organs and immune system. Others are mental retardation and untimely death. People abuse pit toilet by inhaling it to get high. This is not only unhygienic but crazy. However, they become addicted to such unhealthy habits in the process. It has been observed that when drug addicts cannot afford conventional drugs, they resort to the abuse of unconventional drugs. This is done in response to crave for the feeling of high. Others claim they lack money to purchase the conventional drugs.
Explain how people abuse the use of pit toilet.
Is pit toilet seen as drug too?
What’s the effect on human health?
Inhaling of pit toilet could have adverse effect on human health because of the unhygienic condition. This is because the pit toilet itself is a breeding ground for bacteria and diseases. Therefore, inhaling it means inviting deadly diseases into the body system. This could be harmful. We discovered this while treating drug addicts.
They want to do anything and everything to make themselves high. I don’t think there’s any scientific evidence or backing to proof that gas from pit toilet can make somebody high. While treating some addicts, especially in the northern parts, they’ll say they want to make use of the toilet. They would stay long and when you go inside, you’ll find them putting their mouth and nostrils into the pit, inhaling. This raised alarm and worry on our part. Some of them later confessed that it makes them high.
Yes, we know there are pit toilets even in Lagos and other states, but there’s nothing we can do except we get a report.
How do these non conventional substances cause accidents as you said in your presentation?
Any substance that distorts the activities of the central nervous system is injurious. If there is a false perception, it can lead to accidents both domestic and industrial. Life is precious and should not be wasted through reckless habits. The Agency is working with the States on how best to tackle this new twist in drug addiction. Our appeal is for members of the public to report any person suspected to be abusing drugs and other substances.
What is NDLEA advice to people on these so called nonconventional substances?
Another approach we are adopting to checkmate the ugly development is public campaign for people to know that such habits could send them to early graves. We can make our society drug free when we work together.
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