Opposition Spokesman on Housing and Sustainable Living, Senator Floyd Morris, has welcomed the initiative to provide affordable housing to citizens of Jamaica, particularly through the use of shipping containers.

However, the senator is also warning about potential health and safety risks that might be associated with using these containers for residential purposes.

While shipping containers have been used globally as a cost-effective housing solution for low-income earners, Senator Morris said he is concerned about the toxins that may be present in the containers due to their prior use in transporting hazardous chemicals.

Therefore, he is calling for proper standards to be established to ensure that the health and safety of citizens are not compromised.

In a statement on Thursday (April 27), Morris said, “We need affordable housing solutions for low-income earners, and shipping containers are one such strategy. Shipping containers transport harmful chemicals globally, and their tracing records are not always reliable. This poses health risks for those exposed to these chemicals over time.”

“To ensure the safety of our citizens we must establish standards that take into account the lifespan of the shipping containers, what goods have been transported in them, and over what period of time,” he continued.

Senator Morris further emphasised that while the use of shipping containers may be an effective strategy to address the problem of expensive housing, it is essential to prioritise the health and safety of citizens.

“We must ensure that in correcting the problem of expensive housing, we do not create another by compromising the health and safety of our citizens,” he cautioned.