Slight breather from haze, no 'very unhealthy' areas
None of the areas in the country recorded a very unhealthy air quality as at 7pm today, compared to three, at 2pm.
By 10pm, According to the Department of Environment (DOE), 20 areas nationwide recorded unhealthy air quality, namely Shah Alam (177), Batu Muda (174), Port Klang (173), Sri Aman (166), Petaling Jaya (161), Putrajaya (159), Banting (150) Cheras (149), Tanjung Malim (143) and Kuala Selangor (141).
They were followed by Samarahan (140), Seremban (130), Kuching (122), Seri Manjung (117), SK Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh and Jerantut (144), Port Dickson (112), Bukit Rambai (107) , Malacca City (106) and Nilai (102).
Meanwhile 22 areas recorded moderate air quality with Tawau recording a moderate API reading of 86, followed by Sarikei (83) and Pasir Gudang (80).
Five areas in the north of the peninsula recorded good air quality with the lowest API recorded in Kangar (21), followed by Alor Setar (26), Langkawi (30), Georgetown (39) and Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang (44), and one area in Kelantan - Tanah Merah (42).
An API of between 0 and 50 is good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy) and 300 and above (hazardous).
Meanwhile, director-general of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah advised people to wash their hands and face with soap and water after attending outdoor activities and to install air-conditioners and air filters at home if possible.
He said these were precautionary measures to reduce the adverse health impact of air pollution.
"People who experience signs and symptoms such as cough, cold, asthma, sore eyes and lung infection that is worsening should head to a clinic immediately to seek treatment," he said in a statement.
Dr Noor Hisham said the public could also find out more about the preventive measures to reduce the adverse health impacts of haze via the website, www.infosihat.gov.my , or www.moh.gov.my (health information).
Members of the public can refer to DOE's portal at http://apims.doe.gov.my/v2/ to know the latest API readings.
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