Air quality in Pasir Gudang

Is Pasir Gudang a very polluted city now?

Pasir Gudang is a city in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia. It is an industrial city with the main industries being transportation and logistics, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and other heavy industries and oil palm storage and distribution. According to a census conducted in 2010, Pasir Gudang had an estimated population of approximately 46,600 people.

During the third quarter of 2021, Pasir Gudang was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 73. This United States Air Quality Index figure is worked out by collating the recorded levels of six of the most commonly occurring air pollutants. These usually include, both diameters of PM (PM10, PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide. If figures are not available for all six, a level can still be calculated by using what information there is. It can then be used as a metric when comparing one city with another, anywhere in the world. There was only one record kept here which was that for PM2.5 which was 22.5 µg/m³. This level is just over twice the target figure of 10 µg/m³ which is considered to be acceptable by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Although no amount of air pollution should be considered as safe!

With air pollution at this “Moderate” level, the given advice would be to remain indoors with the doors and windows firmly closed to prevent the ingress of more polluted air. Those groups of people who are more sensitive should avoid going outside until the air quality improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality face mask should be worn at all times and limit the exposure to as short a time as possible. There is an app from AirVisual which is downloadable so the information is available in real-time.

Does the level of air pollution vary throughout the year in Pasir Gudang?

Looking back at the 2020 figures published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that between May and the end of November, Pasir Gudang was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. March, April and December saw a “Good” level of air quality with figures between 10 and 12 µg/m³. The months of January and February achieved the target figure as suggested by the WHO of being less than 10 µg/m³. The figures were 8.6 and 8.8 µg/m³, respectively.

Records for air pollution were first kept in 2019 when a figure of 15.1 µg/m³ was recorded. This was followed by a slight improvement in 2020 when the figure was 14.0 µg/m³. This level may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic when many vehicles were no longer in daily use as staff were encouraged to work from home in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also told to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere.

What is the source of polluted air in Pasir Gudang?

The entry of pollutants into the atmosphere that causes air pollution can be caused by two factors, namely natural factors and human factors. The cause of air pollution from natural factors, for example, is volcanic activity that emits volcanic ash and gases, forest fires, and the activities of microorganisms. Pollutants produced are usually in the form of smoke, dust, and gases.

The second cause of air pollution is the human factor with all its activities such as burning, smelting process, mining and excavation, processing and heating and chemical processes are typical examples of man-made pollution.

Pasir Gudang has 2,005 licensed factories and 250 of them are chemical based factories. In the recent past, they have been responsible for some chemical leaks which forced 400 schools to close. It was reported that this was the second incident within months, about 4,000 people, mostly children, fell ill after chemical waste was illegally dumped in rivers that run through the state. The groundwater drainage in the district may have been saturated with volatile toxic waste before seeping through the soil to the surface to form toxic gases.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Pasir Gudang?

In the last two decades, Pasir Gudang has emerged as one of the largest industrial estates in the country. It has attracted local and foreign investors in setting up various types of industries including petrochemical, steel mill, palm oil refinery, fertilizers, cement, chemicals, shipping, offshore rigs electronics and others.

As in most cases, industrial activity has always been associated with some environmental degradation which includes the release of particulate matter into the atmosphere. Air pollution, particularly in major towns and industrial areas, has been a matter of concern to the public and the Government. In Pasir Gudang, the Department of Environment (DOE) has been regularly monitoring the atmospheric total suspended particulate (TSP) levels for a number of years.

Through carrying out sampling in and around the local area it is hoped that any unit that emits an unreasonable amount of pollutants can be identified and a solution planned out.

What are the detrimental effects on the body caused by polluted air in Pasir Gudang?

The impact of air pollution from vehicle fumes, factory smoke, cigarette smoke and others can trigger respiratory problems, such as asthma, ARI (acute respiratory infection) and lung cancer. In addition, air pollution can also end in reduced oxygen levels in the human body. It is not only the respiratory tract but the circulatory system can also be disrupted due to the impact of air pollution. This is caused by a large amount of carbon monoxide (CO) which makes the levels of inflammatory proteins and the amount of blood viscosity increase. That's what triggers inflammation of the blood vessels that can lead to cardiovascular disease.

For pregnant women, air pollution is also very dangerous for themselves and their foetuses. The impact of air pollution on them can trigger inflammation throughout the body and cause premature birth. As for the foetus, this condition can lead to miscarriage, asthma for the child in the future and trigger autism.

Asthma is a type of long-term or chronic disease of the respiratory tract characterised by inflammation and narrowing of the airways that causes shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. This narrowing of the airways produces asthmatic symptoms such as: shortness of breath, coughing, and chest tightness. For someone who has asthma, the respiratory tract is more sensitive than for other people who do not live with this condition.