JOHOR BAHRU: Officers from the relevant agencies today fanned out to 85 schools in Pasir Gudang to monitor the air quality after 273 students and other people had to seek treatment for breathing difficulty and vomiting soon after the 111 affected schools reopened yesterday.
Johor Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said the officers will attempt to trace the source of the latest air pollution at these identified hotspots.
“Today, we want to scrutinise the (air quality) reading up to 1pm. We want to determine the actual reading at the schools because the majority of the affected people are schoolchildren,” he told a press conference here.
Mohd Khuzzan said the officers will focus on the air quality on the third and fourth floors of the school buildings.
The 111 schools had reopened yesterday after being closed on June 25 following the air pollution that affected over 700 people, mainly schoolchildren.
He also said that only three pupils out of the 273 people who suffered breathing difficulty and vomiting yesterday at 27 schools have been warded at the Sultan Ismail Hospital.
Altogether 10 pupils aged between 10 and 12 were referred to that hospital, he said.
Mohd Khuzzan said that although 273 people were affected, only 101 were sent to the Pasir Gudang and Masai health clinics and 10 were referred to the Sultan Ismail Hospital.
He also said that as at 9.30am today, there were no reports of anybody else being affected.
Mohd Khuzzan said the Department of Environment will step up monitoring and enforcement to get rid of industrial effluents in places close to housing estates and schools.
“The Department of Occupational Safety and Health will conduct an inspection of the inventory at the 250 factories in Pasir Gudang that handle chemicals to ensure that they comply with the standard operating procedure,” he said.
The Health Ministry has formed 18 first-aid teams to provide education on personal hygiene at schools. — Bernama
