ID :
290570
Tue, 06/25/2013 - 10:20
Auther :

Face Masks And Air Purifiers 'Help' During Haze

By Zulkiple Ibrahim This is the first of two features on the haze that is currently enveloping Malaysia and Singapore. KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 (Bernama) -- "A flimsy face mask made of paper costs 50 sen (US$.0.15) each? This is ridiculous," were the words of a father, who was told by his primary school son about a face mask he had attempted to purchase at a shop. According to the father, paper face masks usually cost between US$2.17 (RM7.00) and US$2.80 (RM9.00) per box of 100 pieces. (US$1 = RM3.21) A check in Rawang (Selangor) near here revealed that pharmacies reported brisk sale of surgical face masks among the public. Certainly, there are people who are out to make fast money during the current haze situation. "We have almost run out of stock. In the past few days, many customers have come to our pharmacy requesting for surgical face masks. "Before the haze problem, it was difficult to sell even one box of face masks a day, but now, we are selling about six to eight boxes a day," said the owner of a retail pharmacy in Bandar Country Homes, Rawang who wished to be called Lee. FACE MASKS According to environmentalists, the best thing to do during the haze is to stay indoors. "However, for those who have to be outdoors such as school children, office and construction workers and motorcyclists, wearing surgical face masks is the next best thing to do. "At least a face mask prevents the user from breathing dust and smoke particles," Lee explained. The Health Ministry has advised Malaysians, particularly the elderly, young children and people with respiratory problems such as asthma, to avoid being outdoors for a long period of time. Dealers and traders of air conditioners have witnessed an increase in the sale of air conditioners that are fitted with air purifiers in the past few days. "Customers are requesting for air conditioners with air purifiers or ionizers as they believe such products help to freshen unhealthy air," stated one of the traders. Meanwhile, Dr Shuhaimi Jamil, a general practitioner, said his clinic is bracing for more patients in the week ahead. "Based on what I have experienced in the past few years, when the haze strikes, more patients will seek medication for coughs, sore eyes and breathing problems," he added. HAZE What is the haze all about? According to lecturer and environmentalist Amin Iskandar, the haze is caused by tiny particles in the air. "At high concentrations, these particulates scatter and absorb sunlight, resulting in diminished visibility, thereby giving the atmosphere a characteristic opalescent appearance. "Haze is not confined to urban environments; it may also be present in rural areas," he said. He added that particles that cause the haze phenomenon can originate from many sources, some of which are natural and some anthropogenic. "However, majority of the particles emerge from human activities, which include open burning, land clearing, vehicular usage and combustion of fossil fuels in industrial boilers," said Amin. HAZE FORMATION "During certain periods of the year, particularly during the Southwest Monsoon season, vertical air movements are reduced. "The subsiding air mass does not favour active cloud development; hence, the weather is dry. "Several factors such as prolonged dry weather and an abundant supply of pollutants result in the formation of haze," he said. Particles emitted into the atmosphere are trapped within the stagnant air mass, causing the particulate concentration to increase, thus producing a hazy condition, he added. HOW TO CLEAR THE HAZE? Particles in the atmosphere are removed through several processes. A portion of the particles, particularly the heavier particles, settles on the ground or on surfaces because of gravitational sedimentation. Finer particles are removed by a process called "rainout" involving condensation of water vapour onto minute particles to form water droplets, eventually producing clouds. Particles are also removed below the clouds by collision and adhesion with falling raindrops through another process called "washout". Yet another removal mechanism involves the role of turbulence in transporting the haze particulates up to the higher levels of the atmosphere for more effective dispersion. "In this case, widespread heavy rains/thunderstorms are more effective, whereas light rain showers of short durations are usually quite inefficient in cleansing the atmosphere in a severe haze situation," he said. -- BERNAMA

X