HAZARDOUS air over the densely populated Shah Alam yesterday gives cause for concern. After many weeks of forest and peat fires in Indonesia, things are obviously not looking to get any better soon without divine intervention. For, it seems unlikely that Jakarta has the will nor the wherewithal to spare its neighbours this daily dose of toxic air that is immediately causing respiratory health problems and slowly poisoning Malaysians, because the pollutants are carcinogenic consisting as it does of nitrogen and sulphur oxides carried in tiny particulate matter breathed in and absorbed by the body. And, at levels higher than air pollutant index (API) of 300, there should have been a health alert telling residents to wear masks when outdoors. Also, should not the authorities be dropping masks into letter boxes in areas prone to dangerous levels of air pollution?
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