Survey shows high level of lead among children in Bandung

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

The increasing level of air pollution in Bandung municipality, West Java, has caused school children's blood to contain a high level of lead, according to a survey.

Puji Lestari, a researcher from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), released the results of the survey of local students in March.

The research involved at least 62 students chosen randomly from elementary, junior and senior high schools in three districts of Bandung.

The outcome shows that about 47 percent of the students had a lead level of more than the maximum limit of 10 micrograms/deciliter, for students under the age of 12, and 25 micrograms/deciliter, for those over the age of 12, in their blood.

"This is only preliminary research that the government and the public should take into account because it (the air pollution) endangers future generations," Puji said.

She was speaking after the presentation of the survey results before Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada and subdistrict heads of the municipality at the mayor's official residence in Bandung on Monday.

Puji said that children who live in polluted environments could easily be infected by respiratory diseases. She said that their mental development was also at risk, with the potential reduction of their concentration and intelligence quotient (IQ).

Besides the students, the survey also targeted traffic police officers, side-walk vendors, and housewives who stay at home most days.

It showed that high levels of lead were also detected in their blood, Puji said.

Despite the fact that there was no exact sampling ratio to detect the level of lead in the blood of local people, Puji claimed that the findings were an indication of the health of city residents due to the ever-worsening air pollution.

Data from hospitals in Bandung also shows that 27 percent of deaths are related to cancer or lung diseases.

"We will conduct further research on the correlation between the data and the research," she asserted.

Based on data from the Bandung Environmental Office, around 80 percent of air pollution was caused by vehicle emissions, while the remaining 20 percent by industries.

For that reason, a research team from the state-run ITB suggested that the municipal administration regulate the road worthiness of city vehicles, for instance by limiting the age of vehicles on the road.

"The local government should also maximize efforts to regreen the city," Puji said.

Responding to the research, Dada Rosada said his administration had no plan to tighten regulations on the road worthiness of vehicles.

"Frankly speaking, I think it's difficult and should be carried out all at once, not just in Bandung, because there are many vehicles from other cities traveling here.

"But a long time ago, we asked developers to ensure that projects in the city were environmentally friendly," the mayor said.