Lower air pollution can save 22,000 lives, RM212 billion per year

 

According to a study on the health and economic impacts of air pollution, Malaysia could save up to 22,000 lives and RM212 billion per year if air quality levels are improved.

The study by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Greenpeace Malaysia said this is achieved by lowering illnesses related to air pollution and saving on public funds needed to provide healthcare to those affected.

According to the study, at present Malaysia's ambient air quality standards, as of 2020, do not meet guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2021 or even the previous guideline issued in 2005.

As a result, it was estimated that 32,000 avoidable deaths occur every year because of air pollution.

The study further estimated that the economic cost of ambient air pollution in 2019 was RM303 billion, or 20 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

"Meeting the new and most protective 2021 WHO Guidelines for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) would save 22,000 lives per year," said CREA Southeast Asia analyst Isabella Suarez said in a statement yesterday.

"Other impacts such as sick days taken due to air pollution-linked illnesses, low birth weights and preterm births, and years lived with disabilities would be reduced by more than 75 percent.

"With the 2021 WHO guidelines, the economic cost for Malaysians would be reduced by a third annually, saving MYR 212 billion in air pollution-related costs per year," she added.

Even improving standards to meet the WHO's 2005 guidelines could save 12,200 lives per year and save the country RM124 billion, Suarez estimated.

Public health expert Dr Khor Swee Heng said that air pollution could have various side effects on the public, including a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, and lung and testicular cancer.

It can also lead to worsening skin conditions such as psoriasis and may even impact mental health, he said.

To achieve better air quality, Greenpeace Malaysia campaigner Heng Kiah Chun urged the government to make air-quality standards legally binding, time-bound, and enforceable.

He also said that the Environment and Water Ministry should make strengthening public and ecosystem health as the main objective of its air quality governance framework. - Mkini