Haze Alert

Reference :

http://www.pss.org.sg/whats-happening/pharmacy-news/haze-alert-0

Jul , 2013

Why does haze matters for your health?

Haze is a sign of air pollution by fine particles (consisting of microscopic solid or liquid droplets). When these particles enter your lungs, they may pose severe health problems, for example:

• worsening of heart or lung disease

• heart attacks

• irregular heartbeat

• worsening of asthma

• symptoms, such as throat irritation, coughing or difficulty breathing

People with heart or lung diseases, children and older adults are more sensitive to the harmful effect of haze. Healthy individuals may not be spared and will experience temporary symptoms from exposure to haze.

How is the severity of haze situation measured?   

It is measured by PSI, which stands for ‘Pollutant Standards Index’. This index is developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Singapore’s National Environmental Agency (NEA) monitors PSI constantly via network of monitoring stations and the Ministry of Health (MOH) issues specific health advisory for various range of 24-hour PSI.