Malaysia, Johor: Pasir Gudang pollution - Only three pupils warded

Kalbana Perimbanayagam New Straits Times 1 Jul 19;

PASIR GUDANG: Three pupils, aged between 10 and 12, have been warded from 273 who had fallen sick following a second wave of pollution detected just hours after school started yesterday.

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said to date, only 101 pupils were referred to the Masai and Pasir Gudang health clinics for treatment.

"The rest were given immediate medical aid and allowed to go home after their condition improved.

"From the 101 who received treatment at the health clinics, 10 required further treatment at the Sultan Ismail Hospital.

"Out of this, only 3 pupils or 4 per cent of those affected have been warded," he said in a press conference at Menara Aqabah here today.

Also present was Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin.

Yeo said failure to identify the source of the pollution was due to the lack of geographical correlation between the schools where the cases were reported.

"We are still trying to identify and establish the missing link between all these schools so that we can narrow down the probable cause.

"One of the initiative taken is conducting simultaneous air quality checks at all 85 schools in the district today.

"Prior to this, we did regular Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) checks and the result showed everything was safe but when the pupils returned to school, it (the pollution) was back again.

"These are places that showed good readings during our tests," she said.

Yeo said she hoped the results and data collected from today's tests would be able to shed some light into the pollution problem.

"The cause of the air pollution since was difficult to detect as the incident occurred in different locations within a large 13-kilometre radius and there's also no geographical connection to link them.

"Detection equipment including Gasmate will also be mobilised to the 85 schools to check on the specific type of chemical," she said.

Yeo said the latest pollution incident was different from the chemical waste dumping in Sungai Kim Kim reported in March.

"(At the time) We were able to establish a connection between the symptoms and the chemical, unlike the present case".

Meanwhile, Khuzzan said he hoped the simultaneous air quality checks, commencing from morning to 1pm, would provide credible data towards identifying the source of the pollution.

At the same time, he said the Department of Occupational Safety and Health would also conduct inventory checks at all 250 chemical factories in Pasir Gudang to ensure that all Standard Operating Procedures set by authorities were being followed.

"A joint task force comprising Department of Environment, Chemistry Department, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Pasir Gudang Municipal Council and Fire and Rescue Department will also continue to cooperate,"

"DoE will also intensify monitoring and enforcement at factories located close to housing areas." he said.

No closure of schools in Pasir Gudang yet: DPM
Teh Athira Yusof New Straits Times 1 Jul 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: Schools in Pasir Gudang, affected by air pollution, will only be closed if there is an urgency to do so, said Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The Deputy Prime Minister the government was still accessing the situation at the area and acknowledged that some people, especially students, have been affected by the yet-to-be-identified pollutants.

“Even with a buffer zone, it cannot prevent anything present in the air.

“The gas is in the air, there is nothing much we can do,” she said at the Parliament lobby here, today.

Dr Wan Azizah said the Department of Environment (DoE) has been monitoring the situation for any new leads, including identifying the origin of the strong odour.

"Checks has been made to 72 factories for a new reading,” she said.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Maszlee Malik school closure in Pasir Gudang, will be decided by the state government and other relevant agencies.

“Any decision will be made by the state Education Department along with all relevant agencies within the state government,” he said.

On June 30, 111 schools were reopened after being closed for 10 days due to the air pollution scare.

However, hours after schooling session started students were experiencing breathing difficulties and nausea in schools at the same area.

Yeo: Pasir Gudang chemical factories must adopt nearby schools, provide mandatory gas detectors
remar nordin The Star 1 Jul 19;

JOHOR BARU: All chemical factories in Pasir Gudang are required to adopt schools nearest to their premises and provide them with mandatory gas detectors, says Yeo Bee Yin.

The Energy, Science, Technology, Environment, and Climate Change Minister said the factories would also be required to conduct continuous air quality monitoring at the schools they have adopted.

“This is one of the ways we can ensure that we can get continuous data. If the reading is high, the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG) can take a more accurate reading using Gasmet.

“The Environment Department (DOE) has made it mandatory for all chemical industries to provide these detectors to the schools,” she said at a press conference at Menara Aqabah here Monday (July 1).

“The air quality monitoring will still be continued by the government, and when the schools have their own devices, the teachers would conduct the monitoring themselves,” she said, adding that the teachers would be taught how to use the device.

Yeo added that she would also present a memorandum in Cabinet on Friday (July 5), asking for allocations to set up a pollution monitoring system in Pasir Gudang immediately.

“So in the future, there would be an automated air pollution monitoring system at Pasir Gudang that the public can access online.

“For the time being, we have to do it manually by renting these devices to the factories until the systems are in place,” said Yeo.

There are currently 250 chemical factories in Pasir Gudang and 111 primary and secondary schools.