The air we breathe is triggering increasing concerns

The air quality in the region has been a concern among many, especially when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached levels considered detrimental to one’s health.
These concerns have been aggravated by different readings obtained from multiple sources, and comparisons of apps like “aqicn” in which the air quality readings are provided daily by the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (DSMG).
According to the DSMG, “Macau’s Air Quality Index is based on data taken over a 24 hour period from the automatic monitoring network, which monitors pollutants daily, including breathable suspended particulate (PM10), fine suspended particulate (PM2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3).”
The index is then calculated, taking note of the sub-indexes from the measured concentrations of each pollutant and their corresponding impact on human health. “The highest sub-index will then be defined as the Air Quality Index (AQI) of that day”, the SMG notes.
According to the Bureau, “the calculation period for daily AQI is from 12:00 noon on the previous day to 12:00 noon on the current day”, adding also that “each sub-index must be calculated from at least 18 hours’ worth of sampling data during that period, otherwise, it is considered to be fallacious”.
If the AQI is above 100, the pollutant that has caused such a high index will also be indicated.
The results of the analysis of these pollutants is also used to issue warnings to the public regarding the current threats to people’s health.
The different readings and indexes, such as “roadside”, “high density residential area” and “environment,” result from the collection of data from different air quality monitoring stations and their locations around the city. For example, the “roadside” results are taken from the station located at “Calçada do Poço” in downtown Macau (Rua do Campo) while the “high density residential area” readings are obtained from two stations located in the Av. Comendador Ho Yin (close to the border gate) and in Taipa’s central park.
The “environment” reading also comes from the analysis of data gathered by two stations, one located at the top of Taipa Hill and the second in Coloane nearby the “Concórdia Industrial Park”.
Discrepancies between the DSMG index and readings published by other institutions are rare but may occur if other index references are used. The DSMG also states the “figures and index in use refer to the World Health Organization (WHO), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State Environmental Protection Administration of China, Taiwan Bureau of Environmental Protection, and the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department”.
The Times contacted a specialist in public health, Dulce Trindade, from the Association of Macau Portuguese Speaking Physicians (AMLPM), to learn more about the effects of these pollutants and the population’s extended periods of exposure to them.
As Ms Trindade explained, “the most dangerous pollutants for health are particles, especially those with a diameter of 10 microns or less (≤ PM10) which can penetrate and become lodged inside the lungs. Chronic exposure to suspended particulates (PM) contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer. The consequences and effects of exposure to air PM affect more people than any other known pollutant”.
Dulce Trindade also clarified that “there is no clinical evidence or completed study to confirm the association between pollution and increased use of health care services, either through emergency or specialty appointments. There is, however, a cause-effect perceived by patients as having been caused by air pollution”.
This idea is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), who announced in 2014 that 7 million of the deaths in 2012 were linked to pollution, meaning that one in eight of all deaths that year was caused by exposure to air pollution. This number gives a clear idea of the serious nature of the issue, and confirms that air pollution is a major environmental risk factor for human health.
Regarding the Times’ question about which groups of people are the most affected, the physician clearly stated children as the biggest risk group “since the exposure to pollutants can lead to chronic diseases from a young age that develop through the years, resulting in bigger problems and generating various allergic effects as is the case in asthmatic patients. The elderly are the second more susceptible group because they have a depressed immune system”.
Extended exposure to the air pollutants that are causing the drop in air quality can also have an impact. But how big? This is the question that was posed to Trinidade, who explained: “In addition to the pollution in general, Macau’s high-density population, the increasing use of automobiles and consumption of fuel, and a weak green urban density are all factors that increase the risk of negative effects on the health of the residents and also of the millions of tourists who visit the region”.
Additionally, “the impact on public health is aggravated by other risk factors like metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (due to unbalanced hyper caloric diets, a lack of exercise, stress, sleep rhythm changes, among other factors inherent to a society in transition).
Smoking also enhances the severity of the illness and increases the risk of the occurrence of respiratory, cardiovascular and other systemic diseases with associated complications”.
Another of the problems is  that some of the pollutants present in the air we breathe may come from tens, hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. Therefore, in addition to the need to reduce pollution originated from local sourcess, air pollution also has a regional impact and a global dimension. RM

protective masks not very popular

In cities like Beijing and Shanghai, is common to see people using protective masks when outdoors, which are readily available from convenience stores. In Macau, the Times contacted several convenience shops only to be told that they did not sell such items, but that a local supermarket chain does in fact stock the product.

Is air quality in China improving or worsening?

In previous years, and as recently as 2012, both Hong Kong and Beijing were ranked as two of the three Asian cities with the worst air quality. However, from 2014, both cities were omitted from the list of “the Top 20 Most Polluted Cities in the World.”
In fact, no Chinese city made the list, which indicates that relatively speaking, Chinese cities are either improving their air quality or are not experiencing it degenerating quite as fast. This may have something to do with Beijing’s “war on pollution” and its “emergency measures” implemented to improve air quality, both of which were announced last year.
Across China, air quality can vary significantly, but according to the South China Morning Post, it is significantly higher in the south, with the exception of large industrial centers like Guangzhou.
Air quality in Macau regularly fails to meet the MSAR government’s Air Quality Objectives and those set by the WHO.
The worst city in terms of air quality was determined by the WHO to be New Delhi – where, at times, harmful airborne pollutants averaged 575 micrograms per cubic meter. According to India’s Center for Science and Environment, air pollution at its worst in the city was 60 times higher than the level considered safe.
Air pollution is notoriously prevalent in the Asia region, due in part to poor regulatory environmental standards, but also due to a population of more than 4.2 billion people and a high population density. The quality of air has rapidly depleted in areas of East, South and Southeast Asia in particular – areas that have undergone express industrialization and are now subject to smoke haze produced in Indonesia by the palm oil industry. Staff reporter