Haze

The haze problem started to hitting almost all of Malaysia and Singapore recently and made the residences feeling suffer in this condition. Haze is a situation where there is pollution to the air by suspended particulate matter. The various determinants of air pollution are Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Carbon Monoxide and PM10. The fine particulate or PM10(particulate of size 10 micron and below) is the main concern as it may lead to adverse health conditions. There will be many effect and impact of haze to us and now, I would like to explain how the haze can affect our health.

Short-term adverse effects :

• Irritated eyes, watering eyes and conjunctivitis ( a type of eye inflammation).
• Running nose,stuffy nose,sneezing and post-nasal drip.
• Throat irritation,dry throat, sore throat and coughing.
• Headache,dizziness and fatigue.
• Decreased lung function,depressed respiratory immune defenses,chest pain and bronchitis (lung inflammation).
• Diarrhea and stomach upset, if drinking water sources are contaminated by dense haze and the water is consumed without further treatment.
• Anxiety,stress and depression-like symptoms such as insomnia, feelings of helplessness, loss of interest in daily activities and irritability.

Long-term effect:

• Faster rate of thickening of the arteries compared to others, promoting the development of vascular disease.
• Increases the risk of death by cardiovascular disease and reduces life expectancy by several months to few years.
• May contribute to the development of diabetes.
• Spontaneous abortion, under-weight infants, birth defects and infant death.

These all symptoms are usually mild and will subside when you stay indoor and limit your exposure to haze. However, in susceptible individuals and those suffering from chronic disease, especially respiratory and heart disease (e.g. coronary artery disease, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), their condition may be worsened by haze. They are more likely to experience more severe haze-related effects than healthy people.

The technique that Malaysia used to identify the air pollution by using Air Pollutant Index(API).

The guidelines of API and the action to be taken are shown below:

Air Pollutant Index(API) Reading	Health Effect Description	Action to be taken at the workplace
0-50	Good	·         Prepare for any future possibility of air pollution
51-100	Moderate	·         Identify outdoor activities that need to be minimized ·         Health Education to the employees ·         Ensure stock of N95 masks ·         Perform fit testing for employees who work outdoors
101-200	Unhealthy	·         Initiate use of N95 respirators by employees working outdoors ·         Reassign susceptible employees with difficulties working outdoors to indoor jobs. ·         Minimize strenuous outdoor tasks
201-300	Very Unhealthy	·         Reassign all susceptible employees to indoor jobs. ·         Avoid strenuous outdoor tasks ·         Temporarily stop earthworks and earth movements tasks
301-400	Hazardous	·         Assess visibility for work processes ·         Ensure use of headlights while driving ·         Ensure all persons working outdoor are using N95 respirators
400-500	Hazardous	·         Avoid outdoor work
>500	Hazardous	·         All government and private sector offices and workplaces to be closed pending declaration of Disaster Emergency by the National Committee on Disaster Management except essential services

What is our government action?

• Jabatan Alam Sekitar(JAS) identify the haze status and the air quality trend every hours based on three uncertainly haze situation.
• JAS also record the progress of the haze by using hotspots in Sumatera and Kalimantan, the haze problem that made by Indonesia even spread to West Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
• Every agency that involve in management of haze problems tried to do their best to handle the open burning activities.
• The Local and State government and all the estate owner has been recommended to handle and pay attention on the easy-burn areas, such as jungle, farm, agricultural and also industrial area.

All of us should be remember never try to do some open burning activities and protect our earth and our environment.

Source:

1. Health Advisory For Workplace During Haze, Ministry of Health, Malaysia from http://www.moh.gov.my/english.php/pages/view/183

2. Air Pollutant Index of Malaysia from http://apims.doe.gov.my/v2/

3. Apa Yang Anda Perlu Ketahui Mengenai Jerebu from http://www.nre.gov.my/info_jerebu/Pages/default.aspx

4. Image source from http:.//apims.doe.gov.my/v2/