Back To Wearing Masks, Pregnant Women And Children Are Vulnerable To Air Pollution

JAKARTA - Air pollution in the Jakarta, Depok, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi areas is on the way. Referring to the air polluting standard index (ISPU), the category of unhealthy air quality has a value range of 1 - 50.

Meanwhile, if you don't rely on tools but your eyes, the quality of the air at the location is said to be unhealthy if the visibility is only 2.5 km. Air quality in an area can be said to be very unhealthy if a person's visibility is only about 1.5 - 2.4 km.

Professor of Pulmonology and Respirational Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (FKUI) Prof. Dr. dr. Agus Dwi Susanto, SpP(K) said pregnant women and children are vulnerable to air pollution.

"Pregnant women, children, parents, and outdoor workers are four populations who are at risk (affected by air pollution)," said Agus Dwi Susanto, quoted from ANTARA, Friday, August 25.

According to him, there are health impacts that can arise due to air pollution, some are acute (a few hours to several days), and are chronic (can be several months to years).

Agus Dwi Susanto explained that air pollution contains gas and particles. He further said, Particulate Matter (PM2.5) is dangerous for the body because it can enter the lungs.

PM2.5 found in the pollutants is an air particle that measures smaller than or equal to 2.5 micrometers.

"Smooth particles called particulate matter contained in pollutants are very small in size and if they enter the lungs they can cause various complaints," he said.

According to dr. Agus, the gas components and the inhaled particles can have an acute impact, such as irritation, which then continues to become inflammatory, which then causes various diseases such as acute respiratory tract infections (ARI), then asthma attacks occur, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PPOK).

He said this health problem could arise if someone inhales the particles and gas continuously, so that it is accumulated.

"So every day we turn it on (air pollution) then it causes health problems," said dr. Agus.

An immunologist from the University of Indonesia Prof. Dr. Dr. Bambang Supriyanto, SpA (K) said wearing a mask could be a solution to reduce the adverse impact of air pollution on health.

Ideally, when facing air pollution, people need to wear masks with a filtration or particulate matter (PM) filter capability of 2.5, namely indicators in air pollution, such as N95, KN95, KF94.

However, masks of this type are not allowed in sensitive populations, such as pregnant women, children, parents and those with certain diseases because they make more stuffy due to very tight masks.

In addition to masks, he also advised people not to smoke, to avoid traveling to high pollution areas, drink lots of water, do not burn garbage, do not do excessive physical activity and consume balanced nutritious healthy foods.

Talking about the impact of pollution, Bambang said, such as upper acute respiratory tract infections (ARI) for damaging airway mucoches to make it easier for viruses and bacteria to enter, lower ISPA or pneumonia, TBC, asthma, and in the long term can reduce lung function.

"In the long term, the function of the lungs can decrease so that you cannot maximally breathe oxygen, get ready for chronic diseases to arise. In children with asthma becomes more severe. In babies, they will be thin or small and born, they can be premature," he said.