Page 13 - MEDLIFE MAGAZINE

13 MEDLIFE

THE CAUSES OF HAZE

WORDS BY CLAUDINE ADELE

Do you hear that? Not that horrible ‘80s music. But rather the harsh echo from everyone
coughing. Schools are closing down, businesses are going through a crisis and the population of
particular wildlives are decreasing. Why is that? The haze in Malaysia, that’s what’s happening.

Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke and other dry
particles obscure the clarity of the sky. That air pollution can cause increased physical health
problems, allergies, cancer as well as pre-term delivery. According to Stephan and Low (2002),
the most significant immediate health impacts of haze are respiratory or eye-related illness such
as asthma, bronchitis, upper respiratory infections (DRI) and conjunctivitis. Systemic effects are
more serious.

These can range from respiratory conditions such asthma attacks and bronchitis to
worsening of heart diseases such as heart attacks or heart failure according to Rahman (2013). In
2015, the haze that attacked Malaysia had caused the amount of people to suffer from sore throat,
skin irritation and redness on the eyes. Based on the report from a local news, people who suffer
from asthma had increased up to 50 percent from 300 patients to 600 patients since the month
of August 2015. This occurs because the haze makes the body weak. “Citizens are breathing in
polluted air and this has led to respiratory diseases.” stated Mersaille (2016).

The economy could suffer due to the haze. Prolong of the haze affected business trading
or local business. According to Rahman (2015), all outdoor activities can not be carried out and
most of the schools, ports and factories closed temporarily. For example, due to haze, the loading,
unloading, berthing and incoming of ships was suspended for several days due to lower visibility,