New York Times – Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

Re “Ivory Prices May Mean a Reprieve for Elephants” (news article, March 30):

While global efforts to disband the elephant ivory trade should be commended, I was quite disheartened to see the continued burning of ivory tusks. Aside from the fact that ivory, essentially bone, is not terribly combustible, the burning generates vast amounts of air pollution in the form of fine respirable particulates. And this is done in countries that already have large populations exposed to fine particulates from dung-fueled indoor cook stoves.

So while the story presents an ecological success, unfortunately, the local and regional public health impact is serious and being ignored. In short, this burning must stop. There are many environmentally friendly ways of destroying elephant ivory — such as crushing, pulverizing or even burial at sea, which can help restore marine environments — that do not add to the already high public health burden in these communities.

JACK CARAVANOS, NEW YORK

The writer is a clinical professor of environmental public health at the College of Global Public Health, New York University.