Lead concentration high above Serpong research center
Lead concentration high above Serpong research center
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The concentration of lead in the air around Serpong's Research
and Technology Center (Puspitek) as well as in the blood of
elementary school students in the area exceeds the tolerable
level, studies say.
Regular monitoring of ambient air by the Office of the State
Minister of the Environment shows that the concentration of lead
in the air above the center ranges from one micron per cubic
meter to six microns per cubic meter.
The government-set tolerable level of lead concentration in
the air is two microns per cubic meter.
One of the office's researchers, Efrom H. Monangan, said
recently that equipment placed at Puspitek by his office
constantly monitored air in the area.
"We have monitored the air in the area since 2001 and the
result is that the concentration of lead ranges from one micron
to six microns per cubic meter," he told The Jakarta Post.
He could not say where the lead originated from, saying his
office needed to carry out further research to discover the
source. However, there are is a mini-nuclear reactor for research
purposes and home industries that produce batteries in the area.
"But we cannot say that a particular place releases lead into
the atmosphere before any comprehensive study is done," he said.
Meanwhile, research by a team of the University of Indonesia's
Environmental Health Department also revealed that lead
concentration in the blood of elementary school students in the
area was high.
According to the study, the average concentration of lead in
the blood of 11 students of Setu state elementary school, which
is located about one kilometer from Puspitek, is 12.4 micrograms
per centimeter on average.
Tests on elementary school students in Jakarta by other
researchers revealed the average concentration was 4.2 micrograms
per cubic centimeter.
Health experts say a high level of lead, which usually enters
the human body through air and food, can damage brain cells,
marrow, kidneys and other vital organs. The tolerable level of
lead in humans is 10 microns per centiliter.