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.