AS pregnant mothers, children under five, elderly people and those with chronic lung or heart disease are more likely to suffer from air pollution, they should seek indoor and outdoor protection, the Ministry of Health warned.

Major causes for two types of air pollution include wild fire, open fires, factories, generators, vehicles and methane from animal digestion in outdoor pollution, and bad ventilation, using smoking materials such as mosquito coils and incense sticks, smoking in rooms and running generators in airtight units in indoor pollution.

Short-term exposure to polluted air can cause headache, diz­ziness, blood from the nose, pneumonia, intranasal swelling, skin allergies, tearing, and sore eye while carbon monoxide poisoning may even lead to death. In case of long-term exposure, complications such as respiratory diseases, asthma, nasal cancer, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer while immature death rate is high in infants under one month, it said.

On 2 May, four family members in Sangyoung Township, Yan­gon, died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a running generator indoor to operate the air conditioner.

According to air quality report for the Union Territory and 11 regions and states from 16 to 30 June by the Environmental Conser­vation Department, air quality in the Yangon Region Government Office, International Business Centre and Dagon Myothit (South) Township is good while that in Thanlyin Township is acceptably good. — MT/ZN