Ityhefu—Yelothe Ingxaki Yazwenibanzi

UHAMBO lukaMhlekazi uJohn Franklin lokufumana indlela ephumela phakathi koMntla neNtshona lwalunengxaki. Iinqanawa zakhe ezimbini zaxinga emkhenkceni, yaye ubusika obude baseArctic babusandula ukuqalisa. Kwakusele kufe umatiloshe omnye ngendlela engaqhelekanga​—⁠wasuka nje wakhula ngokuthe ngcembe ngendlela engaqondakaliyo, waphambana, yaye ekugqibeleni itshoba lalal’ umbethe. Ngoko oko kuphambana kwanda. Amadoda angakumbi afa. Emva kokuba inani labantu abafayo lafikelela amashumi amabini anesine kwithuba leminyaka emibini eyalandelayo, amalungu asindileyo olo hambo ayezimisele ukuphuma kwezo nqanawa zawo kangangokuba alutshintsha uhambo ephelelwe lithemba enjenjeya ukugudla amazantsi kummandla obharhileyo onomkhenkce, erhuqa izileyi ezikhulu ezizaliswe zizinto ezingeyomfuneko kwanezinto ezibalulekileyo. Akukho nalinye ilungu lolo hambo elasindayo. Oko kwenzeka ngowe-1848. Malunga neminyaka eli-140, unobangela wokuphambana kwabo wawuseyimfihlelo. Kodwa kwishumi leminyaka lokugqibela, ukuxilongwa kweenwele nokuqhekeka kwamathambo kwatyhila ingongoma esisikhokelo yale ngxaki: ilothe. La madoda atya inyama eyayigcinwe kwiinkonkxa ezazitywinwe ngelothe. Afumana ityhefu yelothe!

Kudala ityhefu yelothe iyingxaki kwanangaphambi kwaloo mihla yolo hambo lungubhubhane, yaye ukususela ngoko iye yakhulela ekubeni sisisongelo kwimpilo yazwenibanzi. Kwiminyaka yakutshanje kuninzi okuye kwabhalwa ngobungozi betyhefu yelothe. Imibutho yezeMpilo jikelele ehlabathini isengxakini yokufuna indlela yokuhlangabezana nayo. Ngokukodwa kumazwe, anjengalawo akuMzantsi Merika nakwiMpuma Yurophu, apho imincinane khona imithetho yokulawula imeko-bume, ityhefu yelothe iye yaba yingxaki ekhulayo. Namazwe ahambele phambili ngezoshishino axhalatyisiwe koku.

Kwiminyaka elishumi edluleyo, othuswe bubungqina obandayo bokuba ityhefu yelothe iye yaba sisifo esinabileyo, amagosa ezempilo eOstreliya, eDenmark, eJamani, eMexico, eSkotlani naseUnited States aqalisa ukwenza uphando ukuze ahlolisise indlela kanye kanye eyingozi ngayo kwaneyona milinganiselo iphantsi yelothe ebantwini, ngokukodwa kubantwana.

Iyingozi Kangakanani?

Ngaba ukuchanabeka, kwisinyithi nje esiqhelekileyo kungayingozi ngokwenene? UGrq. Richard Wedeen, ongumbhali wencwadi ethi Poison in the Pot: The Legacy of Lead, ukholelwa kwelokuba ilothe isenokungcolisa kakhulu inkqubo yokusebenza kwamachiza omzimba. Ngoko ke ufikelela kwisigqibo sokuba “ilothe isenokunxulunyaniswa nesifo soxinzeleko lwegazi, isifo sokufa inxalenye ethile yomzimba nesifo sentliziyo nesezintso.” Lo kaWedeen ukholelwa kwelokuba bambi abantu abakhulu abagula ngokuqatha yityhefu yelothe basenokuba ngamakhoboka otywala yaye baphelele ekuguleni ngengqondo.

IThe World Book Encyclopedia idwelisa ezinye iindlela ebonakala ngazo, njengesifo somlambo, ukozela, iinkantsi ezihlunwini, ukuba buthathaka, ukufa kwelungu lomzimba, iingqaqambo zesisu nokuhlanza. Le ntyilalwazi ithi: “Kwiimeko ezimbi kubakho ukonakala kwengqondo, ukufa isiqaqa nokuxhuzula, yaye kwiimeko eziqatha ityhefu yelothe iye yaqengq’ ugodo.” Yaye inani eliphawulekayo labo bebegula ngokuqatha abaye bachacha baba nengxaki yokwenzakala engqondweni okushiyekayo, ubhala atsho omnye ugqirha owaziwayo.

Kanye kanye yintoni ilothe eyenzayo ukuze ivelise ezi mpawu? Ngokungathi kunjalo, umzimba ubhidanisa ilothe necalcium, ngoko awuzihluphi ngokuyikhupha. Ihamba nomsinga wegazi, naphi na apho ihambe khona iyonakalisa. Egazini, ithintela ukukhutshwa kwesibomvisi-gazi, isonakalisa amandla egazi okuthwala umongomoya. Engqondweni nakwinkqubo yokusebenza kwemithambo-luvo, izinamathelisa kwiiproteni ezibalulekileyo ezibizwa ngokuba ziienzymes ize izenze zingasebenzi. Amathambo ayayiqokelela ilothe aze ayigcine, maxa wambi ayikhuphe ekuhambeni kwexesha ukuze yenze umonakalo ongakumbi.

Zimbini izinto ezenza ityhefu yelothe ibe yingozi ngokukhethekileyo. Eyokuqala, inokuba sisigulo esingacacanga, esingena ngokuthe ngcembe, ekunzima ukusiqonda. Eyesibini, ubukhulu becala ngenxa yenguqulelo kwezoshishino, ilothe phantse ibe ifumaneka kuyo yonke indawo esingqongileyo.

Isinyithi Esifumaneka Kwindawo Yonke

Namhlanje, ukulinganiselwa kokusetyenziswa kwelothe kuyinto nje ecingwayo ngabantu. Ngokomzekelo, ukususela kwiminyaka yee-1920 ukuza kutsho kutshanje, izigidi zeetoni zelothe ziye zongezelelwa kwipetroli ukuphucula ukusebenza kwenjini. Ilothe iye yasetyenziswa kakhulu kwipeyinti, nangona amanye amazwe eye ngokungqongqo akunciphisa ukusetyenziswa kwayo.

Kodwa enoba uhlala kwilizwe apho ukusetyenziswa kwelothe kwipeyinti okanye kwipetroli sekulithuba kwapheliswayo, awunakukhuseleka ngokupheleleyo ekuchanabekeni kwilothe. Ngokomzekelo, usenokuba uhlala kwindlu okanye kwigumbi lengqesho elapeyintwa ngaphambi kokuba loo mithetho isebenze. Okanye mhlawumbi apho uhlala khona, kukho iinqwelo-mafutha zohlobo lwakudala ezisasebenzisa ipetroli enelothe, zize zikhuphe umsi ongcolisa umoya nomhlaba okungqongileyo.

Ngoko, kwakhona ilothe iye yasetyenziswa ngokubanzi kwimisebenzi yemibhobho nasekutywineni. Izinto zokukhusela ilothe ziye zasetyenziselwa ukukhusela amagcisa asebenza kwii-X-ray nabasebenzi abasebenza ngamandla enyukliya kwingozi yokusasazeka kwayo. Imithombo yokusela amanzi eyenziwe ngamatanki atywinwe ngelothe isasetyenziswa, yaye zisasetyenziswa neenkonkxa zokutya ezidityaniswe ngelothe. Iikristale zelothe zisetyenziswa kakhulu kwiigilasi zewayini nakwiibhotile zokugalela iwayini. Kwanezinye iibhotile zabantwana zenziwe ngeekristale zelothe. Kukho iipleyiti zelothe kwiibhetri zeenqwelo-mafutha. Iimbumbulu ezenziwe ngelothe nezineenkozo zelothe ziyenziwa yaye izigidi zazo ezingabalekiyo ziyasetyenziswa. Singabala kude kuse.

Nangona ityhefu yelothe kubantu abakhulu izixhalabisa gqitha iingcaphephe zezamayeza, awona maxhoba achanabeke kakhulu kwesi sifo ngabantwana. Kutheni ingabantwana nje? Yaye unokubakhusela njani bona kunye nawe kwesi sifo sihlasela ngokwasemzimbeni nangokwasengqondweni?

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 22]

Ngaba ukuchanabeka kwisinyithi esiqhelekileyo kunokuba yingozi ngokwenene?

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 22]

Ihamba ngokukhululekileyo nomsinga wegazi, ilothe iyonakalisa nje naphi na apho ihamba khona

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 23]

“Ilothe isenokunxulunyaniswa nesifo sokuxinzeleka kwegazi, ukufa inxalenye ethile yomzimba nesifo sentliziyo kuquka nesezintso.”

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 21]

Photo: Painting by Thomas Smith, Courtesy of the Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England