Air pollution killing children, says Sarwono

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja made an impassioned appeal yesterday for the phasing out of leaded gasoline in the country to spare the deaths of more Indonesian children.

In a paper presented by his staff at a seminar on the health impacts of leaded gasoline, Sarwono cited startling figures from a 1990 World Bank census.

Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is responsible for the deaths of 15 percent of Indonesian children under five and for 6.2 percent of all deaths in Indonesia. In Jakarta, the total figure doubles to nearly 12.6 percent.

"These were mostly caused by airborne particulates," he said in the paper read by his senior aide, P.L. Coutrier, deputy for Environmental Impact Assessment and Technology Development.

The one-day seminar at the Jakarta Hilton International Hotel was held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Department of Environmental Health of the School of Public Health at the University of Indonesia.

While acknowledging that he had no precise figures for the amount of lead in the air, Sarwono pointed out that the main air pollutants in big cities are carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, tetrahydrocannabinol and total suspended particulates.

These are predominantly the result of vehicle emissions, he said, citing a survey by the Bandung Institute of Technology in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang and Medan.

Jakarta, he pointed out, has already surpassed the ambient standards for these emissions while Bandung, Semarang and Medan are still within prevailing air quality standards.

Sarwono's paper pointed out that, according to the 1990 World Bank report, the social cost borne by the Jakarta population because of air pollution is estimated at $350 million. "It is therefore very important to release the public from this financial burden and to enhance the quality of their health."

"The effects of air pollution are very well known -- most of them cause pulmonary diseases, but excessive lead in the blood will cause the most frightening impact by affecting the neurophysiological and intellectual development of our children," he said.

Sarwono said various surveys found that the most populous areas in Jakarta such as Bandengan, Pasar Ikan, Pulogadung, Pasar Baru, Radio Dalam, Pondok Gede, Senen, Sawah Besar and Tebet are believed to be the most polluted.

The concentrations of lead in the air at the roadsides of the busiest streets were also found to exceed national and international limits.

"Examinations of the lead levels in the blood of bemo (motorized three-wheel vehicles) drivers and slum dwellers reveal that people living in densely-populated urban areas have double the amount of lead compared to those in rural areas.

"The origin of lead is quite obvious -- exhaust gases from motor vehicles using leaded fuel," he said.

The government has already declared that Indonesia should phase out the use of leaded gasoline, but it has not set a firm deadline.

A plan to begin introducing unleaded gasoline starting last year was postponed because of delays in the completion of a new oil refinery plant in Balongan, West Java.

The EXOR-I refinery plant, belonging to the state oil company Pertamina, will produce low-leaded gasoline. Pertamina officials say the refinery would chiefly supply the gasoline needs of Java.

Sarwono in his paper suggested improving the ignition systems of motor vehicles through proper maintenance, setting a gradual plan to permit only low emission engines and switching to gaseous fuels such as CNG and LPG to reduce lead in gasoline and combat air pollution.

Coutrier proposed approaching the problem case by case, saying that pollution in smaller cities, like Palu and Kendari in Sulawesi, is not as severe as in Jakarta. (03)