Groups Call for Further Monitoring and Investigation as Toxic Smoke from Navotas Landfill Persists

20 April 2026, Quezon City. With Earth Day 2026 approaching, environmental and health advocates are seeking an expanded investigation into air quality as toxic smoke continues to billow from the Navotas Sanitary Landfill fire, posing serious health risks and threatening the legally protected right to clean air.

The 40-hectare landfill was gutted by fire on April 10 and has been emitting smoke since then, affecting the air quality, particularly in some areas in Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Bataan.

“The situation is serious, it is not yet resolved, and it is not confined to Navotas. The communities that need protection most are those who have been breathing this air the longest, and who had the fewest choices about doing so,” observed Dr. Geminn Louis Apostol, Program Head – Environmental Health, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Center for Research and Innovation (ACRI).“Our network of over 90 sensors in Breathe Metro Manila has been tracking air quality continuously since the fire broke out on April 10, and the data tell a story that should concern all of us. The worst readings we have recorded were not during the fire; they were recorded this week. Air quality in several cities, including areas far from the landfill itself, has deteriorated further rather than improved,” he said.

According to the post-incident air quality monitoring prepared by ACRI, the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, and Breathe Metro Manila, Northern Manila bore the heaviest burden, with Caloocan and Valenzuela Cities spending 85 percent of the seven-day monitoring period in elevated air quality index (AQI) categories. Air quality has not recovered, with several cities recording their worst readings by April 18, stressing that the cause of renewed deterioration requires urgent and further investigation.

Cities most affected the week after the fire

The report noted that PM2.5 alone underestimates the risk. “While PM2.5, the fine particle pollution our sensors measure, has returned to headline discussions, we must be honest that landfill fires produce a far more complex toxic mixture than PM2.5 alone: carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and, where plastics are involved, potentially dioxins and furans. These are not captured by our sensors, and their presence cannot be ruled out,” Apostol said.

“We join our health advocates in calling for expanded investigation to inform and protect the health of the people who suffer the brunt of the failed closure and rehabilitation plan for the massive disposal site by the sea,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. “We also see the need for the authorities to check any leachate discharge, which can adversely affect the marine environment, people’s livelihood, and food supply.”

“At the same time, we urge the authorities to identify and hold parties in both the public and private sectors accountable for this toxic threat to human health,” she emphasized. “We further call on them to make the process participative and transparent. Local government units (LGUs), grassroots organizations, and advocates for health and the environment must be adequately represented.”

With air quality in certain areas under “very unhealthy” levels, the Ateneo and Breathe Metro Manila researchers urged residents to consider the following precautionary measures to limit exposure:

• Stay indoors and keep windows closed
• Avoid outdoor activities, especially for children, the elderly, pregnant individuals, and those with respiratory or heart conditions
• Wear a properly fitted N95 mask if going outside is unavoidable
• Seek medical attention for symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest tightness, headaches, or eye irritation
• Even in areas with lower readings, prolonged outdoor activity is discouraged, particularly for outdoor workers.