Air Pollutions in Malaysia

In the early days of abundant resources and minimal development pressures, little attention was paid to growing environmental concerns in Malaysia. The haze episodes in Southeast Asia in 1983, 1984, 1991, 1994, and 1997 imposed threats to the environmental management of Malaysia and increased awareness of the environment.

As a consequence, the government established Malaysian Air Quality Guidelines, the Air Pollution Index, and the Haze Action Plan to improve air quality. Air quality monitoring is part of the initial strategy in the pollution prevention program in Malaysia. Review of air pollution in Malaysia is based on the reports of the air quality monitoring in several large cities in Malaysia, which cover air pollutants such as:

• Carbon monoxide (CO),
• Sulphur Dioxide (SO2),
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),
• Ozone (O3),
• and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM).

The results of the monitoring indicate that Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) are the predominant pollutants.

Other pollutants such as Ox and Pb are also observed in several big cities in Malaysia.

The air pollution comes mainly from:

• land transportation,
• industrial emissions,
• and open burning sources.

Among them, land transportation contributes the most to air pollution. This paper reviews the results of the ambient air quality monitoring and studies related to air pollution and health impacts.

How can air pollution hurt my health?

Air pollution can affect our health in many ways with both 'short-term' and 'long-term' effects. Different groups of individuals are affected by air pollution in different ways. Some individuals are much more sensitive to pollutants than are others. Young children and elderly people often suffer more from the effects of air pollution.

People with health problems such as asthma, heart and lung disease may also suffer more when the air is polluted. The extent to which an individual is harmed by air pollution usually depends on the total exposure to the damaging chemicals, i.e., the duration of exposure and the concentration of the chemicals must be taken into account.

Examples of short-term effects include irritation to the:

• eyes,
• nose and
• throat, and

Upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Other symptoms can include:

• headaches,
• nausea, and
• allergic reactions.

Short-term air pollution can aggravate the medical conditions of individuals with asthma and emphysema. In the great "Smog Disaster" in London in 1952, four thousand people died in a few days due to the high concentrations of pollution.

Long-term health effects can include:

• chronic respiratory disease,
• lung cancer,
• heart disease,

and even damage to the:

• brain,
• nerves,
• liver, or
• kidneys.

Continual exposure to air pollution affects:

• the lungs of growing children and
• may aggravate or complicate medical conditions in the elderly.

It is estimated that half a million people die prematurely every year in the United States as a result of smoking cigarettes.

Research into the health effects of air pollution is ongoing. Medical conditions arising from air pollution can be very expensive:

• Healthcare costs,
• lost productivity in the workplace, and
• human welfare impacts

cost billions of dollars each year.