Five locations in Sarawak record hazardous air pollution levels

Five locations in Sarawak recorded hazardous air pollution levels, with Serian registering the highest reading at 374 as of 6 p.m. the previous day.

The other locations above 300 were Kuching, at 346, Sarikei at 333, Sibu at 323 and Samarahan at 318, according to Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index Management System. Sri Aman recorded a very unhealthy reading of 295, while Bintulu, Mukah and Samalaju also remained in that category.

Four Sarawak locations recorded unhealthy readings: ILP Miri at 191, Miri at 186, Kapit at 185 and Limbang at 173. Six locations in Sabah were also unhealthy, including Kota Kinabalu at 177 and Labuan at 171. In Peninsular Malaysia, Johan Setia in Selangor recorded 157.

Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, a public health medicine specialist at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said prolonged haze exposure increased the risk of miscarriage and pregnancy complications, including low birth weight and birth defects. She said fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres could reach the lungs, enter the bloodstream and cross the placental barrier.

She linked the potential harm to inflammation, oxidative stress and vascular damage. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 was also associated with a higher risk of stroke, while fine particles could raise the likelihood of high blood pressure and hospital admissions for heart failure. Exposure to PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide and ozone can progressively inflame the airways, reduce lung function and contribute to chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory infections.

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Particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres can reach the lung alveoli before entering the bloodstream and crossing the placental barrier.