9 treated for breathing difficulties in Pasir Gudang

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad (middle) at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

PETALING JAYA: Nine more people in Pasir Gudang, Johor, have sought treatment for breathing difficulties although none of them has been admitted to hospital.

All nine were treated as outpatients at the Pasir Gudang health clinic, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said at a press conference here today.

He said the patients had complained of a pungent, burning odour, adding that the breathing difficulties could have been sparked by panic attacks.

“Pasir Gudang has more than 250 chemical factories and 2,500 factories, so in a way it has come to that level of notoriety by way of various smells,” he said.

Psychiatric experts also know that this is a possible cause of a kind of panic attack, and this is a phenomenon we’re afraid will recur.”

He added that there have been no recent findings or toxic or volatile organic gases in the area. -FMT