PUTRAJAYA: Three gases were detected in the atmosphere during the recent severe air pollution in Pasir Gudang, one of which was methyl mercaptan gas, and the presence of which was an anomaly, Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said.
She named the two other gases as acrylonitrile and acrolein.
She also said that due to the saturated atmospheric environment in the Pasir Gudang district, such an anomaly will have an effect on high-risk groups such as children and people
suffering from asthma.
“However, these three gases were not detected in the blood and urine samples of the 10 patients from eight schools,” she said.
She said this during a joint press conference with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad on the situation in Pasir Gudang, yesterday.
Yeo said her ministry has taken immediate steps to dispose of the factors contributing to the presence of these gases and is continuing with the enforcement and monitoring of the chemical-based factories in Pasir Gudang.
Pasir Gudang has 2,005 licensed factories, out of which 250 are chemical-based.
Yeo said there is no confirmation on the cause and effect over the incident.
“The 10 students hospitalised are from eight different schools and so it is a rare case, unlike in the Sungai Kim Kim case where you can pinpoint and clarify the source,” she said.
In March this year, chemical waste that was dumped into Sungai Kim Kim, also in Pasir Gudang, emitted fumes that affected the health of more than 4,000 people which included students.
This forced the state government to close all 111 schools in the district.
At the media conference yesterday, Yeo said, “As a precautionary measure, we have disposed of all the factors contributing to the gas that was an anomaly and we are doing our best to establish what we know as an anomaly.
She added that the state
government and a team from her ministry are still monitoring the air quality and the gas emitted in the area.
“These are urgent steps that need to be taken.
“I need to tell you that Pasir Gudang has an air quality baseline that is much more polluted than other parts of Malaysia, that is what we know.”
Meanwhile, Dr Dzulkefly said that as of yesterday, 748 people have received treatment, with 709 of them treated as outpatients and 39 hospitalised.
“Four patients are still warded, three at the Sultan Ismail Hospital and one at the Regency Hospital.
“No case has required admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and no deaths were reported,” he said. – Bernama
