When the haze situation in 2015 became so severe that it led to school closures, it came as a terrible shock to Ms Michelle, who did not make any preparations since she did not expect the air quality level to worsen.

Having learnt her lesson, the 50-year-old is now gearing up for the coming haze season by purchasing an air purifier.

She is one of the several shoppers whom TODAY observed looking for air purifiers at various shopping malls on Sunday (June 25).

Ms Michelle, who declined to give her full name, was shopping with her husband at a Harvey Norman outlet in Hougang Mall. They have read the news about a possible severe haze occurring soon.

“I wanted to be prepared for it this time round. I don’t have an air purifier, so I thought I’d buy one,” she said.

The Singapore Institute of International Affairs has said that there is a high chance of severe haze occurring in Southeast Asia this year, although the situation is unlikely be as severe as in 2015, when the 24-hour pollutant standards index hit hazardous levels.

The think-tank in its haze outlook report published on Wednesday gave a “red” — meaning high risk — rating for 2023, the first time it has given such a rating since it produced yearly reports in 2019.

This is based on experts’ predictions that the El Nino weather phenomenon will bring hotter and drier conditions from June to October, causing a severe dry spell to hit the region.

The Meteorological Service Singapore in May advised the public to be prepared, such as by “ensuring that they have sufficient N95 face masks and air purifiers in good working condition”.

At several stores, air purifier sellers said that their products have been flying off the shelves over the last two months.

Novita's Northpoint Shopping Centre outlet has seen a 30 per cent increase in air purifier sales since May, said Mr Kris Li, a sales representative of the home appliances brand.

“More customers are buying this product because they read the news about the coming haze and want to be prepared for it,” he said.

A well-being adviser from the Osim outlet at the same shopping mall said that there has been a 65 per cent spike in air purifier sales between April and May at its Northpoint outlet alone.

“Customers are preparing for the haze, but they are also buying because of the recent wave of people recontracting Covid-19,” said the adviser, who declined to give her name.

“Even though our sole air purifier costs S$699, which is pricier than other brands' products that typically costs between S$200 and S$300 on average, they still buy our air purifier.”

Another sales representative of a Best Denki store in Junction 8 said that the outlet had been seeing an increase in air purifier sales for the same reason.

He said that the outlet has been using the predicted haze to promote its air purifier products.

BUY MASKS AND AIR PURIFIERS, AVOID GOING OUTDOORS IF HAZE BECOMES SEVERE: EXPERTS

Experts whom TODAY spoke to said that buying air purifiers is a good step in preparing for severe haze as it can reduce the amount of indoor air pollution.

A good quality air purifier should have a proper flow rate and use high efficiency particulate air (Hepa) filters, said Associate Professor Steve Yim at the Nanyang Technological University's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.

People can also prepare for the haze by stocking up on N95 masks, said Dr Chew Si Yuan, a respiratory and critical care consultant at the Singapore General Hospital.

These are helpful particularly for vulnerable persons such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with chronic heart or lung diseases.

Wearing N95 masks is also recommended for healthy adults who might experience prolonged outdoor exposure to the haze, she added.

But beyond that, Dr Chew advised people to keep track of the air quality situation in their area and look out for official advisories regarding outdoor activities.

“Everyone should also create a clean home environment by regularly cleaning the house and minimising activities that can produce indoor air pollutants such as smoking,” she said.

“If one has a pre-existing heart or lung condition, they should also ensure that they have an adequate supply of medications and seek medical advice from their doctor for specific guidance during the haze.”

People may also consider reducing the time spent outdoors, said air quality scientist Erik Velasco.

“We don’t want to shut ourselves completely in our houses like during the Covid-19 circuit breaker period. But we should avoid unnecessary time breathing polluted air outdoors,” he said.

“If you can work from home, do it, but don’t enclose yourself. If schoolchildren’s classrooms have air conditioning, they can still go to class, only they won’t be able to exercise or have activities in the school yards.”

Such measures are sufficient in protecting people from the potential health effects of a severe haze.

According to Dr Chew, for a healthy adult, short-term exposure to severe haze may result in mild effects such as nose, throat or eye irritation, while prolonged exposure can lead to wheezing, cough or chest discomfort.

Such symptoms, if mild, can be resolved by resting indoors and avoiding exposure to the haze.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by NUR HIKMAH MD ALI

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