Malaysia: Three Pasir Gudang schools, two kindergartens ordered shut for two days over air pollution fears

venesa devi The Star 22 Jun 19;

PASIR GUDANG: Three schools and two kindergartens have been ordered to be close for two days from Sunday (June 23) here as a safety precaution following possible air pollution.

The schools are Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, SK Pasir Gudang 4 and SMK Pasir Gudang 2 while the kindergartens are Tadika Pasti and Tadika Pintar Bistari.

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said the schools and childcare centres are located from 100m to 800m away from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, where the incident first started.

"We are also monitoring the air quality within a 1.1km radius from the location every six hours and will continue to do so until Monday (June 24) or even after that if necessary.
image: https://video.unrulymedia.com/native/images/in-art-close-icon-128x128-16481b937f87b244a645cdbef0d930f8.png

He added that two patients are still receiving treatment at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) while six have been discharged and no new patients have been admitted as at 12pm on Saturday.

Pasir Gudang: 2-day closure for 3 schools, 2 kindergartens [NSTTV]
Nurul Amanina Suhaini New Straits Times 22 Jun 19;

PASIR GUDANG: Three schools and two kindergartens have been ordered to close for two days beginning tomorrow to allow for investigations in the area around Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, near here.

The investigation is to uncover the source of an alleged air pollution incident.

State Health, Culture and Heritage committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said the closure involved some 3,000 students and staff members of Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Gudang 4, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pasir Gudang 2, PASTI kindergarten and Pintar Bistari kindergarten, near here.

He said as of noon today, two students aged 11 from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar were still receiving treatment at the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Bahru.

No new patients were referred to the hospital, he added.

"Checks on air quality are done every six hours and we have found the air quality reading to be normal, but observation will continue as needed until Monday.

"Until now, the Department of Environment (DoE) together with other agencies involved are conducting investigations to determine the source of the air pollution detected at Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar and Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Gudang 4.

"The air quality observation team comprises the Chemical Department, Fire and Rescue Department, DoE, the Health Ministry, the Meteorology Department and the Pasir Gudang Emergency Mutual Aid (PAGEMA), covering a radius of 1.1 kilometre," he said at a press conference, here, today.

Also present were state housing, communications and multimedia committee chairman Dzulkefly Ahmad and state local government, urban well-being and environment committee chairman Tan Chen Choon.

Mohd Khuzzan said until now, no more calls were received by the Johor Fire and Rescue Department on the incident.

He said members of the public are advised to obtain verified information on what happened.

"For inquiries and verification of information, please call the Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue station at 07-2513444 or the Johor Fire and Rescue Department's operation's centre at 07-3409999."

29 with 'breathing difficulties' stable
Bernama New Straits Times 21 Jun 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 29 students around Pasir Gudang who suffered from breathing difficulty have been treated at the Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor Bahru since yesterday, says Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said of the total, 16 were from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar (14 students and two adults) while 13 others were from SK Pasir Gudang 4.

"A total of 14 victims were treated as outpatients and 15 received treatment at HSI, with six of them admitted. All patients have been reported to be stable and with none admitted to the intensive care unit and no deaths recorded.

"The Johor State Health Department is still monitoring the area where the problem occurred. The Pasir Gudang Health Clinic was also opened this morning to treat other victims who may have been affected by the incident," he said in a statement, here, today.

Dr Noor Hisham also advised the public to immediately seek treatment at nearby health facilities if they experienced symptoms such as breathing difficulty, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, muscle cramps and weakness.

Yesterday, the Johor State Health Department reported cases of schoolchildren experiencing breathing difficulty at Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, Pasir Gudang.

Emergency relief teams from the Sultanah Aminah Hospital, HSI and Pasir Gudang Health Clinic were mobilised to provide assistance after distress calls were received at about 3pm.

The emergency treatment operation ended at 8pm, however, the true cause of the incident has yet to be determined. — BERNAMA