By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
THE quality of air in the regional significantly improved yesterday.
The Environment Management Bureau (EMB) announced this even as the Department of Health (DOH) downplayed fears that the haze that blanketed this city and other Mindanao areas last week had adverse effects on people’s health.
The sky started to clear up on Sunday, two days after trade winds started blowing. Engr. Florencio Dominguez, chief for environmental monitoring of the EMB, said the bureau’s station in Iligan City recorded 30 micrograms per cubic meter of polluted air yesterday, a far cry from the 93 micrograms per cubic meter in Oct. 18.
Dominguez said it was a significant improvement given that the government’s standard is 75 micrograms per cubic meter.
He however said the forest fires in Indonesia would be costly as far as the environment is concerned because it would contribute to global warming.
“Maka-apikto gyud kini sa global warming kay kanang aso, carbon dioxide man kana,” said Dominguez.
Dr. David Mendoza, chief of the Regional Emergency Surveillance Disaster and Research Unit of the DOH in northern Mindanao, told a news conference that the Department recorded no hazeelated case in hospitals in the region from Oct. 18 to Oct. 27.
Mendoza said it means that there is nothing to worry about, and there was no need for people to buy N95 masks.
“Kon dunay mogamit ug mask, kadto lang dunay da-ang sakit na hubak, sakit sa lungs, kasing-kasing, ug uban pang mga na-a nay da-ang respiratory problem,” he said.
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