2023 Public Health Colloquium (2023 PHC) is an event organized by the National Public Health Journal Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) on December 21, 2023, with the theme “Air Pollution and Health Impact”. The Public Health Colloquium is a routine agenda for the Public Health Journal (Jurnal Kesmas) which is held every year to publish the authors’ articles by providing oral presentation programs and seminars in it.
“Journals are one of the souls of academic life which initiate and disseminate various knowledge to the community to provide benefits. “The hard work that has been expended by the administrators has also produced extraordinary results so that it is able to bring the FPH UI Public Health Journal to a reputation nationally and internationally with a Quartile 3 (Q3) index,” said Dr. Ir. Asih Setiarini, M.Sc., Deputy Dean for Education, Research and Student Affairs FPH UI in his speech.
The problem of air pollution has a serious impact on health. Some air pollution problems include particulate air pollution, gases, volatile organic chemicals, cigarette smoke pollution, indoor air quality, passive smoking, and climate change. 2023 PHC presents speakers with different backgrounds to provide understanding and solutions to these problems.
Prof. Doz. Dr. Hanns Moshammer from the Medical University of Vienna, explained that problems with serious health effects often occur as a result of air pollution, especially long-term exposure which can have a more dangerous impact on health. Sources of pollution found in Vienna include means of transportation, household heating, local industrial contributions, and long-distance transportation. Pollutants can be indicated by the presence of piles of emissions in total organic carbon, incineration (burning) which produces particles, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and black carbon, the presence of primary pollutants (Carbon monoxide (CO) and Sulfur dioxide (SO2)), as well as secondary pollutants.
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. R. Budi Haryanto, S.K.M., M.K.M. M.Sc., Professor of Environmental Health at FPH UI, delivered material on the topic “The Health Impact of Air Pollution in Indonesia”. Prof. Budi stated that air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk in the world according to WHO. “Pollutant sources must be controlled with various strategies. “Specifically in Indonesia, pollutant sources must be controlled by reducing vehicles on the road, improving fuel quality and/or implementing clean energy, adequate engine technology, managing land transportation, and increasing the number of Air Quality Monitoring Systems (AQMS),” said Prof. Budi.
Meanwhile, Doctor Gatut Priyonugroho, Sp.P (K)-Onk, FISR., from the University of Indonesia Hospital (RSUI) explained about one of the lung diseases which is closely related to air problems, namely Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Doctor Gatut Priyonugroho explained that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease that causes limited air flow, causing breathing problems. COPD can cause the lungs to lose their ability to return to their original shape. “Between COPD and lung cancer, both can occur in active or passive smokers and are a result of air pollution,” said Dr. Gatut. “Even though breast cancer is the highest in Indonesia, deaths from lung cancer are up to 10 times more dangerous. “For one year, half of lung cancer sufferers will survive,” he added.
Apart from seminars, 2023 PHC is holding a series of events to publish participants’ articles which have gone through the correction and selection stages by the Public Health Journal Secretariat. Writers with articles that pass the selection carry out oral presentations, namely by presenting important points in the articles they bring. Oral Presentations were carried out simultaneously in three different rooms with each coach providing feedback along with notes from reviewers on the participants’ presentations. The coach appointed is Dr. Drs. Tris Eryando, M.A.; Prof. Dr. Dra. Dewi Susanna, M.S., and Meita Veruswati, S.K.M., M.K.M. (ITM)