Living in a densely populated urban area is always associated with high levels of air pollution. Air pollution is a condition where the surrounding air is polluted by chemicals, substances or particles and other biological materials that are negative and can affect the health and life of the people. Without realising it, air pollution is one of the causes of the deaths of millions of people each year because of its relationship with emphysema and lung cancer.
Recently, Jakarta was named as the city with the third highest air pollution rate in the world, behind Dubai and Skopje. With the air quality index (AQI) of 154, Jakarta is considered as a city with unhealthy air quality, and its population has an increased risk of several types of diseases related to the respiratory system. Reporting from CNN Indonesia, according to a pulmonary specialist, Dr Erlang Samoedro, the risk of respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to upper respiratory tract infections (ISPA) can increase due to air pollution.
Based on the Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, air pollution is divided into five groups, namely:
- GOOD - ISPU 0-51
- MEDIUM - ISPU 51-100
- UNHEALTHY - ISPU 101-199
- VERY UNHEALTHY - ISPU 200-199
- DANGEROUS - ISPU 300-3000
With this finding, of course, various campaigns about using masks are intensely carried out by most of the environmentalist organisations. One of them came from Greenpeace Indonesia, which advocated for the people of Jakarta to use N95 type mask to block pollutants, especially for those who often do outdoor activities.
Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay
Source(s):
- CNN Indonesia - Vigilant Disease Emerging Due to Poor Air Quality (2019). https://www.cnnindonesia.com/gaya-hidup/20190703153807-255-408768/waspada-penyakit-yang-muncul-akibat-kualitas-udara-buruk, 09 July 2019.
- Ministry of Environment & Forestry - Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU). http://iku.menlhk.go.id/, 09 July 2019.