Why haze is dangerous

Among healthy individuals, short term exposure i. Such irritation resolves on its own in most cases. Haze particles can sometimes affect the heart and lungs, especially in people who already have chronic heart or lung disease e. Singapore is not affected by the haze throughout the year.

Any exposure is short-term in nature i. As international studies are based on long term exposure to air pollution, there is little robust data on the longer-term effects of episodic short-term exposures to haze like the pattern seen in Singapore.

Studies have shown that persons living overseas with continuous exposure over several years to high ambient pollution from fine particles i. How is the air quality forecasted? Why is the health advisory based on hour PSI forecast? NEA will look at all relevant factors, including weather conditions, in determining this forward projection. In general, children, elderly, and people with chronic lung disease or heart disease are more sensitive to the health effects of haze, and should adopt the preventive measures in the MOH health advisory when air quality is poor.

Individuals are advised to consult their doctor should they develop breathing difficulties. In addition, it is advised that pregnant women reduce exposure to haze for the health of their unborn baby. The public is recommended to adhere to the MOH haze health advisory. In most cases, it is still safe to carry on with outdoor activities. However, do drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated. Fine particles are matter foreign to the body they are like microscopic soot particles.

Inhaling the haze is like inhaling smoke — irritation of the sensitive lining within the nose and throat occurs. Symptoms tend to get more serious when the irritation occurs deeper than the nose and throat, especially when the lower air passages trachea and bronchi are affected.

If your symptoms are mild and you are healthy, simply avoiding the haze by staying indoors with the windows and doors shut, and turning on an effective air purifier should be sufficient. If your symptoms are more serious or you are unsure how badly you are affected, it is best to consult with a physician. It is not advisable to self-medicate or use inhalers that you are not familiar with. For example, Seretide is an asthma medication that contains steroids and a long-acting bronchodilator medication.

It is a prescription-only medication that is not without adverse effects and it should not be tried without proper medical advice. Exercising outdoors when the PSI is in the unhealthy range ie. The higher the PSI, the more harmful it is to inhale the polluted air when exercising.

Note that when you are exercising, you have to breathe harder and the air exchange that takes place in the lungs is several times more than when you are at rest. Therefore, you are inhaling several times more of the air pollution. Breathing more pollutants into the lungs is in a way negating the beneficial effects of exercise. The most harmful pollutants — the PM2.

In addition, particles of PM1 are known to bypass the lungs and travel straight into the blood circulation where they can be carried to other organs such as the brain with harmful effects. Every individual is different in size, age and health so it is not possible to say how long a person can tolerate the haze. When the haze level is in the unhealthy range PSI higher than , it is prudent for everyone to avoid outdoor activities.

Usually the harmful effects of a few minutes of haze exposure are temporary and do not lead to long-term health issues. However, in studies performed in the US and Europe, there was found to be a definite relationship between air pollution and cardiovascular and lung cancer death.

The smaller PM2. Clearly then — clean air, just like good health, is invaluable. I think that it's best to avoid air pollution especially when the PSI is very unhealthy. In short, there is no 'safe' level of air pollution. The lower it is, the better for your long-term health. Laden, F. The U. Coast Guard is also helping keep people away from the coast and only allowing permitted tour boats into the area. According to the United States Geological Survey, "laze" is when molten lava flows into the ocean, reacting vigorously with seawater to create a different type of gas plume that results in hazy and noxious conditions downwind of an ocean entry.

It forms through a series of chemical reactions as hot lava boils the colder seawater to dryness. He said that the plume is an irritating mixture of hydrochloric acid gas, steam and tiny volcanic glass particles. The ocean-entry plume can also cause acid rain that has a pH between 1.

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