Don't eat fish from bauxite-tainted rivers, warns ministry

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The Health Ministry today announced that it is looking at data of several illnesses at government clinics in areas around Kuantan where bauxite is being extracted to see if they are linked.

"A total of 11 clinics in Kuantan were chosen for observation of patients with upper respiratory tract infection, asthma and conjunctivitis since the beginning of 2014.

"The observation is continuous and an analysis will be conducted to determine the trend of the illnesses," Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement.

He also warned the public against eating fish from rivers that have been polluted.

"The Health Ministry advises the public not to use raw water from any rivers that are polluted to avoid adverse effects on their health.

"As a precautionary measure, the public is also advised to avoid eating fish or any catch from rivers that are confirmed to be polluted by the Department of Environment (DoE)," he said.

A test by the DoE in August found the worst affected river to be Sungai Pengorak, adjacent to Gebeng Port, where mercury levels were 22 times the allowable level.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's statement on Wednesday said a follow-up test on Nov 18 found that Sungai Pengorak 'had not seen positive development from the pollution control measures'.

The New Straits Times which commissioned a test on fishes taken from Pantai Pengorak, into which Sungai Pengorak flows, found that the they contained mercury levels more than 100 times the allowed levels.

The river does not serve as a source for raw water.

Noor Hisham confirmed that tests on water supply for human consumption at treatment plants at Semambu, Bukit Sau and Bukit Goh showed that the supply was safe.

He added that tests on various foodstuff and fishes for heavy metals were also found to be within the regulatory limits.

"Based on these observations, the people of Kuantan do not need to worry about the quality of drinking water at the treatment plants," he said.



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