Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) held a Guest Lecture with the theme “Transboundary Air Pollution: an Overview”. This Guest Lecture, which was held in a hybrid manner, presented Prof. Bin Jalaludin, MBBS., Ph.D., Conjoint Professor at the School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Australia.
“Transboundary air pollution or cross-border air pollution is a topic that is very relevant to the current conditions in Indonesia. “The Indonesian government has also made air pollution an important issue to resolve,” said Dr. Al Asyary, S.K.M., M.P.H., Secretary of the Environmental Health Department, FPH UI in his speech.
Moderated by Prof. Dr. R. Budi Haryanto, M.Kes., M.Sc., Prof. Bin Jalaludin has discussed a lot about the impact of air pollution on health. Air pollution consists of various types, such as ozone, particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, toxic chemicals, and other types. Air pollution, especially in the form of particles, can enter the human respiratory system and have a negative impact on health. “Air pollution is one of the main causes of non-communicable diseases. “It is known that air pollution is the fourth biggest risk factor for non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and lung cancer,” said Prof. Bin Jalaludin.
Air pollution does not stop in one place but can move to pollute other areas. This is also known as cross-border air pollution or transboundary air pollution. “In low-income countries, 60% of total air pollution is transboundary air pollution coming from other areas. “The source can come from forest fires, desert dust, industrial activities, transportation, or volcanic activity,” explained Prof. Bin Jalaludin. Furthermore, Prof. Bin Jalaludin gave the example of a forest fire that occurred in Indonesia in 1997, but the smoke pollution spread to Malaysia and Singapore.
Cross-border air pollution is an important thing to pay attention to. A study in China showed that transboundary air pollution was responsible for 100,000 premature deaths. Apart from that, cross-border air pollution can also burden the country in terms of health, economics, social, equality and politics. It is hoped that the Guest Lecture organized by FPH UI will increase public awareness of the dangers of air pollution and provide benefits and new knowledge in the field of environmental health. (WR)
