Air quality in Malaysia: impacts, management issues and future challenges.

Centre for Environmental Technology and Natural Resource Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor. awang@fsas.upm.edu.my

OBJECTIVE: Observations have been made on the long-term trends of major air pollutants in Malaysia including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, the ozone and total suspended particulate matter (particularly PM10), and sulfur dioxide, emitted from industrial and urban areas from early 1970s until late 1998. METHODOLOGY: The data show that the status of atmospheric environment in Malaysia, in particular in highly industrialized areas such as Klang Valley, was determined both by local and transboundary emissions and could be described as haze and non-haze periods. RESULTS: During the non-haze periods, vehicular emissions accounted for more than 70% of the total emissions in the urban areas and have demonstrated two peaks in the diurnal variations of the aforementioned air pollutants, except ozone. The morning 'rush-hour' peak was mainly due to vehicle emissions, while the late evening peak was mainly attributed to meteorological conditions, particularly atmospheric stability and wind speed. Total suspended particulate matter was the main pollutant with its concentrations at few sites often exceeding the Recommended Malaysia Air Quality Guidelines. The levels of other pollutants were generally within the guidelines. Since 1980, six major haze episodes were officially reported in Malaysia: April 1983, August 1990, June 1991, October 1991, August to October 1994, and July to October 1997. The 1997 haze episode was the worst ever experienced by the country. Short-term observations using continuous monitoring systems during the haze episodes during these periods clearly showed that suspended particulate matter (PM10) was the main cause of haze and was transboundary in nature. Large forest fires in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan during the haze period, clearly evident in satellite images, were identified as the probable key sources of the widespread heavy haze that extended across Southeast Asia from Indonesia to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. The results of several studies have also provided strong evidence that biomass burning is the dominating source of particulate matter. The severity and extent of 1997's haze pollution was unprecedented, affecting some 300 million people across the region. The amount of economic costs suffered by Southeast Asian countries during this environmental disaster was enormous and is yet to be fully determined. Among the important sectors severely affected were air and land transport, shipping, construction, tourism and agro-based industries. The economic cost of the haze-related damage to Malaysia presented in this study include short-term health costs, production losses, tourism-related losses and the cost of avertive action. Although the cost reported here is likely to be underestimated, they are nevertheless significant (roughly RM1 billion). CONCLUSIONS: The general air quality of Malaysia since 1970 has deteriorated. Studies have shown that should no effective countermeasures be introduced, the emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in the year 2005 would increase by 1.4, 2.12, 1.47 and 2.27 times, respectively, from the 1992 levels.

Danger Zone at Night Spot

Workers and patrons at food and entertainment outlets,which allowed smoking are more exposed to the harmful effects of tobacco, according to a survey by Universiti Sains Malaysia.

They are exposed to the harmful effects of carcinogen and toxin as the air pollution there is 91% higher than in outlets, which prohibits smoking.

USM National Poison Centre re-searcher Dr Foong Kin said the smoke could cause dizziness, sore throat, watery eyes and coughing.

She said the study was conducted in 50 venues in Penang and 103 in Kuala Lumpur, involving bars, discos, cafes, hotels, fast-food outlets, snooker centres, restaurants, Internet cafes and video arcades between February and November last year.

She said a TSI SidePak AM510 Personal Aerosol Monitor, costing about RM17,000, was used to record the levels of respirable suspended particles (RSP) in the venues involved in the study.

Dr Foong said the study was aimed at showing that workers and patrons in smoking venues were exposed to harmful levels of carcinogen and toxin.

“For a start, we appeal to the Government to implement smoke-free zones for all air-conditioned public areas and workplace.

“Such a move has already been implemented in England, Scotland and Ireland,” she said in an interview.

Currently, the country prohibits smoking in governmental offices, health and education facilities, public transport and shopping malls.

Restaurants are permitted to have a designated smoking area within the premises while there are no smoking restrictions in bars, discos and nightclubs.

Dr Foong said it did not make much difference whether restau-rants had designated smoking areas.

“The partition around that area is so low that the smoke from there travels easily to the non-smoking section,” she said.

Dr Foong said she was currently conducting a study on the im- pact of passive smoking on those working in places, which allowed smoking.

“We are targeting more than 100 workers from 50 places, in-cluding pubs and bars in Penang,” she said.

The study, which started in September, was expected to finish by December, she said.

By NG SU-ANN

Air Pollutions- room for improvement

VEHICLES and power plants that generate the electricity that we use, were the main air polluters last year. Power stations emitted half of all the soot that clouded our sky, and also half of the total sulphur dioxide (a pungent gas which irritates the respiratory system and forms acid rain).

Motor vehicles, vans and lorries in particular, spewed the most oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide, gases which lead to respiratory ailments.

Foul air: Nationwide, the annual averages of sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and ozone were below guidelines, but there is concern over the effects of chronic, long-term exposure.

Klang Valley folks breathed in unhealthy air quality 7% of the time last year, and moderate air quality 70% of the time. The air was good only 23% of the time. The valley is prone to air pollution due to its geographical position, industrial and commercial activities, dense population and traffic.

Nationwide, the annual averages of sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and ozone were below guidelines, but there is concern over the effects of chronic, long-term exposure. Ground level ozone is of concern as continuous exposure aggravates respiratory ailments, harms vegetation, and leads to smog. Ozone forms when oxides of nitrogen react with hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds in the presence of heat and sunlight.

Murky flows

The main river pollutants are domestic sewage, waste from livestock farms, runoffs from towns, silt from earthworks, leachate from rubbish dumps, runoffs from farms, litter from riverside squatters and mining waste

Last year, 80 river basins were deemed clean, 59 slightly polluted and seven, polluted. This is a marked improvement from 2005, when 80 river basins were clean, 51 slightly polluted and 15 polluted. The seven polluted rivers were Pinang, Juru, Buloh, Danga, Tebrau, Segget and Pasir Gudang.

Last year, domestic sewage and discharges from latex-based factories, agro-based industries and manufacturing industries, fouled 22 river basins.

Domestic sewage and livestock farming waste soiled 41 river basins while earthworks and land clearing turned 42 river basins murky.

Tainted groundwater

Arsenic levels were high in groundwater near a radioactive waste landfill, solid waste landfills, municipal water supply sources and agricultural areas. Groundwater near waste dumps was also contaminated with iron, lead, manganese, phenol and faecal bacteria.

Contaminated seas

Our marine waters showed a higher of Escherichia coli, mercury and arsenic levels last year than the year before. However, levels of suspended solids, oil and grease, copper, lead, cadmium and chromium dropped.

The faecal bacteria E. coli was the dominant pollutant in waters off 71 islands, which included resort islands, marine parks and protected islands. This is because of the discharge of raw or poorly treated domestic sewage.

Pollution by silt was the worst the coasts of Kedah, Perak and Negri Sembilan. Oil and grease pollution were mostly seen in Terengganu, Pahang and Negri Sembilan. E. coli levels were highest off the coasts of Perlis, Kedah, Negri Sembilan and Penang island.

Lead contamination was evident in Terengganu, Kelantan and Perak waters.

Our seas are polluted by rubbish, silt, heavy metals and sewage.

Toxic discards

Hazardous waste thrown out by industries more than doubled in the past two years, from 548,916 tonnes to 1,103,457 tonnes. The hike was due to the addition of electronic waste and gypsum waste (511,929 tonnes) from two generators which were previously not reported.

Gypsum, oil and hydrocarbon, dross, heavy metal sludge, mineral sludge and e-waste form the bulk of the waste. The waste had mostly come from industries dealing with chemicals, electronics, metals, pharmaceuticals, industrial gas, rubber and plastic, petroleum/oleo chemicals and batteries, as well as from automotive workshops.

By TAN CHENG LI

Smoke out the polluters

I WOULD like to highlight the problem of dust pollution caused by factories and palm oil mills in this country.

It is a problem faced by tens of thousands of Malaysians every day, and has the potential to cause serious health problems.

A recent article in a local daily reported on dust pollution suffered by the residents of Chaah, Johor, where a palm oil mill has been causing black dust to descend on the town for close to 20 years now.

It is high time the authorities act on such pollution by industries.

Similarly, my hometown of Nibong Tebal, Penang, has been under constant assault for many years from factories and palm oil mills. The boilers in these mills spew out smoke and most crucially black dust into our houses and our lungs.

Just like the residents of Chaah, the people of Nibong Tebal have faced dust and air pollution for many years. Much of this airborne “dust fallout” is being inhaled by us, our children and parents, every day.

“Particulate matter is especially harmful to people with lung diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and emphysema,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States warns on its website.

“Other people who are sensitive to particulate matter exposure are children, the elderly and people with heart disease.”

I understand there are clear environmental guidelines on the emission of smoke and dust. If so, can the Department of Environment please act for the sake of the countless numbers of Malaysians suffering from the invisible enemy, that is, dust pollution.

We hear of Malaysians complaining about the haze every year. We complain about the lack of urgency shown by Indonesia. What about ourselves then?

We can do our part by cutting down on pollution, through strict enforcement of existing regulations.

Environmental issues are not just about saving the wildlife and the forests. We have to act to save us humans, too.

By MOHSIN ABDULLAH, Subang Jaya, Selangor

Increasing illness

A WARMER world will also mean a sickly one. World Health Organisation (WHO) projects that illnesses and deaths related to temperatures, extreme weather and population displacement, as well as from air pollution, food and water shortages and food-, vector- and rodent-borne diseases will go up.

“Some expected impact will be beneficial, for instance, a drop in cold-related deaths, but most will be adverse. Medical experts do not expect to see new diseases but changes in the frequency and severity of familiar ones,” says Dr H. Ogawa, adviser at WHO Western Pacific office.

He says the health effects of climate change are already seen as in the heat waves in Europe in 2003 and Tokyo in 2004, as well as increasing cases of dengue fever in Singapore.

The shift in weather patterns will introduce vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, to areas where vectors were not previously present. The temperature rise has contributed to rising dengue cases, triggering global concern.

“The distribution of dengue cases has changed to a wider population. It now afflicts 30% of the global population but that figure will reach 50% to 60% by 2085. We need more vigilant surveillance and health control for dengue.”

Ogawa says the higher temperatures will also worsen photochemical smog, triggered by the reaction between car emissions and sunlight.

Under-nutrition is another future concern as food production, which is affected by temperature and rainfall, is expected to decline.

He says developing countries will suffer more from climate-related health risk as they lack supporting facilities. To protect their populations from climate-related health risks, he says nations must strengthen their public health systems.

Athlete's foot

Athlete's foot is a common fungal infection that affects many people at some time in their lives. The condition easily spreads in public places such as communal showers, locker rooms and fitness centers.

Usually this condition affects the spaces between your toes, but it can spread to your toenails and the soles and sides of your feet. The infection can also involve your palms and fingers. Although it occurs primarily in adults, athlete's foot can affect children.

Changing socks, keeping your feet dry and alternating shoes can help you prevent athlete's foot. Often, athlete's foot responds well to over-the-counter treatments you can apply to your skin. More severe cases may require oral medications.

Signs and symptoms

The signs and symptoms of athlete's foot can be numerous, although you probably won't have all of them:

1. Itching, stinging and burning between your toes, especially the last two toes
2. Itching, stinging and burning on the soles of your feet
3. Itchy blisters
4. Cracking and peeling skin, especially between your toes and on the soles of your feet
5. Excessive dryness of the skin on the bottoms or sides of the feet
6. Nails that are thick, crumbly, ragged, discolored or pulling away from the nail bed

Causes
A group of fungi called dermatophytes causes athlete's foot. These organisms sprout tendril-like extensions that infect the superficial layer of the skin. In response to this fungal growth, the basal layer of the skin produces more skin cells than usual. As these cells push to the surface, the skin becomes thick and scaly. Most often, the more the fungi spread, the more scales your skin produces, causing the ring of advancing infection to form.

Also called tinea pedis, ringworm of the foot and dermatophytosis, athlete's foot is closely related to other fungal skin conditions, most with similar names. Tinea is a type of fungus, and pedis is the Latin word for "foot." Other common tinea infections include:

1. Ringworm of the body (tinea corporis). This form causes a red, scaly ring or circle of rash on the top layer of your skin.
2. Jock itch (tinea cruris). This form affects your genitals, inner thighs and buttocks.
3. Ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis). This form is most common in children and involves red, itchy patches on the scalp, leaving bald patches.

Risk factors
The organisms that cause athlete's foot thrive in damp, close environments created by thick, tight shoes that can pinch the toes together and create warm, moist areas in between them. Damp socks and shoes increase the risk. Warm, humid conditions that promote heavy sweating favor its spread.

The fungus is carried on fragments of skin or other particles that contaminate floors, mats, rugs, bed linens, clothes, shoes and other surfaces. Plastic shoes in particular provide a welcoming environment for fungal growth and infection. Person-to-person contact is another means of transmission. Even household pets can pass along fungal infections. Although transmission can occur within a household, the infection is more commonly passed along in public areas — locker rooms, saunas, swimming pools, communal baths and showers. Not everyone who carries the fungus develops signs and symptoms of athlete's foot.

Vulnerability probably involves a genetic component, but those who are known to be more vulnerable include people with weakened immune systems, for example, people with diabetes or HIV/AIDS. Men are more likely than women to develop athlete's foot.

Complications
The fungal infection can create an environment that invites a secondary bacterial infection. By producing an antibiotic substance, the fungus can kill off vulnerable bacteria and favor the overgrowth of hardier, resistant types. In turn, the bacteria release substances that can cause tissue breakdown - soggy skin and painful eroded areas between the toes.

After an episode of athlete's foot, proteins might enter your bloodstream, leading to an allergic reaction that may cause an eruption of blisters on your fingers, toes or hands (dermatophytid reaction).

Treatment
For mild conditions, your doctor may advise you to apply a prescription or over-the-counter antifungal ointment, lotion, powder or spray. Most infections respond well to these topical agents, which include:

• Clotrimazole (Lotrimin)
• Terbinafine (Lamisil AT)

If your fungal infection is severe or doesn't respond to topical medicine, your doctor may give you a prescription oral medication. Oral medications include:

• Itraconazole (Sporanox)
• Fluconazole (Diflucan)
• Terbinafine (Lamisil)

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), oral Sporanox and oral Lamisil may be linked to rare cases of liver failure and death. Oral Sporanox may weaken the heart's contractions and shouldn't be prescribed for people with a history of heart failure.

Griseofulvin (Fulvicin, Grifulvin), an older oral medication, has been prescribed less often since the introduction of the newer medicines. It's effective, but can take months to clear up the infection.

Your doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotic if you have an accompanying bacterial infection. In addition, your doctor may recommend wet dressings, steroid ointments, compresses or vinegar soaks to help clear up blisters or soggy skin.

Prevention

These tips can help you avoid athlete's foot or ease the symptoms if infection occurs:

1. Keep your feet dry, especially between your toes. Go barefoot to let your feet air out as much as possible when you're home.
2. Go with natural materials. Wear socks that are made of natural material, such as cotton or wool, or a synthetic fiber designed to draw moisture away from your feet.
3. Change socks and stockings regularly. If your feet sweat a lot, change your socks twice a day.
4. Wear light, well-ventilated shoes. Avoid shoes made of synthetic material, such as vinyl or rubber.
5. Alternate pairs of shoes. This allows time for your shoes to dry.
6. Protect your feet in public places. Wear waterproof sandals or shower shoes in communal showers, pools, fitness centers and other public areas.
7. Treat your feet. Use an antifungal powder daily.
8. Don't borrow shoes. Borrowing risks spreading a fungal infection.

Alternate Treatment to Athete's Foot------> Click Here

Asthma As A Killer Disease

You may not think of asthma as a killer disease. Yet each year, nearly 500,000 Americans with asthma are hospitalized, and more than 4,000 die.

Asthma is a chronic condition that occurs when the main air passages of your lungs, the bronchial tubes, become inflamed. The muscles of the bronchial walls tighten and extra mucus is produced, causing your airways to narrow. This can lead to everything from minor wheezing to severe difficulty in breathing. In some cases, your breathing may be so labored that an asthma attack becomes life-threatening.

But asthma is a treatable condition, and most flare-ups and deaths can be prevented. In recent years, scientists have gained a better understanding of asthma's cause. New drugs have been developed to replace standard medications. Greater emphasis also is now put on managing your own condition, much as people manage their diabetes with insulin. Together, you and your doctor can work to gain control over your asthma, reduce the risk of severe attacks and help maintain a normal life.

Causes

You're more likely to develop asthma if you have an inherited predisposition to the condition and are sensitive to allergens or irritants in your environment. In fact, the inflammation that causes asthma makes your airways overly sensitive to a wide range of environmental triggers.

Asthma can develop at any age. If you're younger than 30, your asthma is probably triggered by allergies. Many people older than 30 with asthma are also allergic to airborne particles.
For some people with asthma, particularly older adults, respiratory allergies don't seem to play a role. Instead, exposure to any irritant — such as a virus, cigarette smoke, cold air, and even emotional stress — can trigger wheezing

In most cases though, asthma results from a combination of allergic and nonallergic responses. You may react to one or more of the following triggers:

• 
  Allergens, such as pollen, cockroaches and molds.
  Air pollutants and irritants.
  Smoking and secondhand smoke.
  Respiratory infections, including the common cold.
  Physical exertion, including exercise.
  Cold air.
  Certain medications, including beta blockers, aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  Sulfites — preservatives added to some perishable foods.
  Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which stomach acids back up into your esophagus. GERD may trigger an asthma attack or make an attack worse.
  Sinusitis.

Treatment

A number of individual medications exist for asthma, and many are used in combination with others. Your doctor can help you decide which option is best for you based on your age and the severity of your symptoms. In general, the four types of treatments are:

Long-term-control medications. These are used on a regular basis to control chronic symptoms and prevent attacks.
Quick-relief medications. You use these as needed for rapid, short-term relief of symptoms during an attack.
Immunotherapy or allergy desensitization shots. These decrease your body's sensitivity to a particular allergen.
Anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies. These are designed to prevent your immune system from reacting to allergens.

Click here for More articles on Asthma and Acute Bronchitis

Terrorism and Other Public Health Threats

Air Contamination

. An accident at a plant or factory might release large amounts of a hazardous chemical into the air, for instance. A terrorist attack could involve the deliberate release of a toxic chemical or gas.

In a bioterror attack, bacteria or viruses causing diseases such as anthrax, pneumonic plague, smallpox, or tularemia could be released in an aerosol form. Anyone who inhaled the substance could be affected.

While air itself does not become radioactive, release of radiation into the environment can create radioactive dust and dirt (fallout) that can make the air unsafe. A “dirty bomb” could work in this manner, causing a relatively minor explosion but doing its real damage by releasing radioactive materials into the environment.

Allergies reach epidemic levels in Europe: experts

Fri Mar 31 ~ Reuter

Allergies such as hay fever are reaching epidemic proportions in Europe and a failure to treat them properly is creating a mounting bill for society and the healthcare system, experts said on Friday.

Around one third of the European population has some kind of allergy, while one in two children in Britain will have allergies by 2015, costing millions of euros in medical bills, lost work days and even impaired concentration in school pupils.
Experts say various factors such as air pollution, animal fur and dust mites could act as triggers for allergies but that the levels of allergic reaction vary from country to country.

"There is an epidemic of allergic disease in Europe and elsewhere in the world," Peter Burney, vice president of research at the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GALEN), told reporters on Friday.

Allergies were most prevalent in Britain and Ireland, as well as other English speaking countries like Canada, Australia and the United States, Burney said, adding they were also becoming more widespread in new European Union' member states.

"It's not a problem which is going to go away soon," he added, noting that as allergy sufferers get older the complications resulting from their condition tend to get worse.
"We have data showing that up to the age of 55, people do not lose their allergies, but that the complications are greater," he said. "This is a serious problem."

Failure to treat allergies could also increase the risk of patients developing asthma later in life, GALEN's general secretary Torsten Zuberbier said, calling for early diagnosis and treatment of sufferers.
"We have valid data that one third of European Union people have allergies but only 10 percent of these millions of people are treated well," Zuberbier said, adding that around 40 percent of children with untreated hay fever will develop asthma.
"We need early treatment in children and we can avoid the large burden of social and economic costs," he said.

The GALEN network has established standard practice across Europe in diagnosing allergies and it has now begun to draw up guidelines on how best to treat the conditions.

IS Your Office Killing You ?

Indoor Pollution Facts

"Indoor Air is up to 100 times worse than Outdoor Air". American College of Allergists
"50% of all illness is caused by indoor air pollution." United States Environmental Protection Agency
"Indoor Air Pollution is American's most serious environmental health problem affecting humans." USA TODAY
"Indoor Air Pollution is wide spread. You are more likely to get sick from pollution in your home and office than from pollution in the air outside." The American Lung Association
"Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. Now the leading chronic illness among children, asthma, affects one in ten children." Yale School of Medicine
"It's hard to come up with another problem that affects more people than indoor air pollution". Brian Leaderer, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Saturday Reader
"Lost productivity associated with indoor air pollution costs businesses an estimated $60 billion per year." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
"Indoor air pollution is one of our biggest environmental health threats - bigger than toxic waste sites, the destruction of the ozone layer and a slew of other problems." Wall Street Journal
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) call indoor pollution the number one environmental health problem in America. Today, 90% of colds are caught indoors…only 10% outdoors. Indoor air can be up to 10 times as polluted as outdoor air.
When you don't breathe bad stuff indoors your immune system can recover and get stronger to better fight off the bad stuff outdoors. Common Sense

ASTHMA/ALLERGIES/MCS...lots of talk...lots of money spent...lots of ongoing misery...in the case of Asthma, too many deaths...and, with MCS, too many Emergency Room trips...yet very little effort to ELIMINATE THE CAUSE...but, lots of people put forth lots of effort to TREAT THE SYMPTOMS. Environmental testing is not needed for improving the Asthma/Allergy/MCS problem because a lot of the triggers for these scourges are inside every tightly sealed building...or rather every building that doesn't have sufficient fresh air inside.

Elimination of the cause of these scourges is VERY SIMPLE in most cases...in fact it's so simple, quick and INEXPENSIVE that's probably why it doesn't get much attention or gets ridiculed. It all starts with germs and/or allergens which are naturally present in our air. Nature sanitizes outdoors for us via sunlight, ionization, ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and ozone from the UV rays and from lightning. So those who work outdoors benefit by generally being healthier than those who work indoors.
But, those who are cooped up indoors in buildings sealed with deadly precision are now under constant attack, or rather their immune system is. And, the result is Asthma, Allergies and MCS. And, part of the explanation for the increased incidence of these scourges is that Americans are now spending about 90% of our time indoors in that unhealthy air...it might not smell or look bad but it's bad...trust me, it's bad! It's been reported that indoor air has more chemicals in it than were found in a well equipped chemistry lab in 1900. So the fix is really VERY SIMPLE...get Fresh Air indoors to sanitize for us! [Notice I didn't say FILTER the inside air...that won't eliminate the cause; NO filter exists that can strain out all the bad stuff]. We can't open our doors and windows to let Fresh Air in, but that's OK. What we can do is use the latest electronic technology like NASA uses in its spacecraft. The chart above shows just how effective Electronic Fresh Air is at KILLING Bacteria and Fungi. Astronauts don't get sick while cooped up in their spacecraft...why should you get sick while cooped up at home or work? Fresh air inside in three days or less..."Technology Wins Again".