'Hairy pollution crisis in Lampung'

JAKARTA (JP): Air pollution in the Lampung capital of Bandar Lampung is so heavy that residents' hair is contaminated with industrial waste, notably cadmium, an academic said yesterday.

In her speech commemorating Lampung University's 31st anniversary, Ida Farida Rivai said that her recent study on pollution in the city proved that there was a direct relationship between intensive industrialization and population concentration causing increased levels of environmental contamination in cities.

Ida, a chemistry expert, said that toxic industrial waste included gas emissions from motorized vehicles and smoke and gases from factories.

Perpetual accumulation of heavy metal compounds such as cadmium, lead and mercury is hazardous to humans, Ida, who graduated from the Gunma University of Japan, said.

Prolonged exposure to mercury destroys the nervous system, cadmium diminishes the kidney's function and lead can cause lung cancer, she said.

Ida, the founder of the science department at the university, said that chemical contamination and poisoning from industrial waste cannot be minimized by rejecting industrialization.

"Perhaps preventative measures and control can be socialized and managed in a wiser manner," she said.

Ida also encouraged chemists and biologists to undertake more research on toxic waste by-products which are inadvertently consumed by the public.

"A thorough understanding of environmental toxicology is one way of improving the quality human resources. It is futile to tell people of the danger without providing a solution or telling them how to prevent the danger," Ida said. (14)