Worries mount over Jakarta's air pollution<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A legislator urged the ministry of health on
\nSaturday to announce the results of its research on diseases
\ncaused by heavy vehicular emission in major cities like Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Legislator Soegijatno Soesilo said that the ministry should
\nsend the research results to the police headquarters in Jakarta,
\nwhich is particularly anxious to learn about the impact of gas
\nemissions on its traffic officers on duty.<\/p>\n
Soesilo, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission
\nVIII which oversees health, told Antara that traffic gridlock is
\ndangerous for the health of police officers who are there for
\nhours every day.<\/p>\n
The worries about the effect of vehicular gas emissions on
\ntraffic police officers was aggravated by a recent report from
\nThailand. The media reported that a Bangkok traffic policeman
\ndied from illness caused by appalling air pollution, and one of
\nhis colleagues was sick with unusually high levels of lead in his
\nbloodstream.<\/p>\n
Thai Staff Sergeant Amnuay Soonjin died late last month in a
\nhospital's intensive care unit after suffering from severe chest
\npains and leg cramps. He had also been coughing heavily and
\nvomiting blood.<\/p>\n
Amnuay spent two years directing traffic in a Bangkok street
\nwhere air is thick with vehicle emissions, particularly at rush-
\nhour. During that time he developed respiratory trouble and lung
\ninflammation.<\/p>\n
While Staff Sergeant Thira Narasri, who directed traffic in
\nthe same zone as Amnuay, was recently diagnosed with high levels
\nof lead in his bloodstream and has since been moved to
\nadministrative duty.<\/p>\n
A respiratory expert with Thai Police General Hospital said
\nthat a study conducted in 1991 showed that 805 of Bangkok's 3,500
\ntraffic policemen were suffering from pollution-related diseases.<\/p>\n
Another traffic police sub-lieutenant died a few years ago
\nfrom inhaling excessive amounts of vehicle exhaust.<\/p>\n
Air samples on Bangkok streets in January indicated carbon
\nmonoxide levels of 22 parts per million, near the 30 parts per
\nmillion danger-level by international standards.<\/p>\n
Although the status of carbon monoxide in Jakarta is unknown,
\nit's strongly believed that it is around the levels recorded in
\nBangkok.<\/p>\n
In many of the world's most populated cities like Bangkok and
\nJakarta, the air is known to have been contaminated with a host
\nof pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur
\noxide, lead and dust.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has a total of 2,356 traffic policemen and 2.7 million
\nvehicles. Bangkok has 3.5 million vehicles.<\/p>\n
The case of the two traffic policemen in Bangkok was discussed
\nin a monthly meeting of all senior ASEAN police officers at the
\nJakarta police headquarters recently. Many police officers are
\nworried about the health of the city traffic policemen as they
\nare yet to be equipped with air-filter masks.<\/p>\n
House member Soesilo also urged the government to raise the
\nmeal allowances and incentives for traffic police to better their
\nhealth status.<\/p>\n
He also suggested the national police force, which is going to
\ncelebrate its 49th anniversary on July 1, shorten the duty hours
\nof traffic police officers.(bsr)<\/p>",
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