ABSTRACT
Wear A Mask that Covers More than Just Your Face
Authors: Aditia Nurmalita Sari, Afifa Intifadha Habibatullah, Patricia Arindita Eka Pradipta, Yosefina Sonia Christya Kartika
Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta
Background: Rapid industrialization and high population density make Indonesia vulnerable to the likely effects of climate change. Climate change is predicted to delay the monsoon season, which causes overall drier condition and may exacerbate forest fires. As temperature rises and the land becomes drier, not only the incidence of forest fires increases but also their duration and severity.
In Indonesia, forest fire( wildfire) is a very serious problem. According to World Bank, in 2015, more than 2,6 million hectares of forest and peat are burnt in Indonesia alone. This is very harmful, particularly in terms of health. When wildfire smoke is inhaled, it can irritate the respiratory tract and it can worsen chronic heart and lung diseases. Studies show that in the last quarter of 2015, as much as 100.300 cases of deaths are caused by inhalation of wildfire smoke.
The high number of deaths could have been reduced by a cheap way that can easily be done by all people, which is wearing respirators. Respirators are masks designed to reduce exposure to airborne contaminants. However, many people still use surgical masks instead of respirators because they are not aware of the difference. It is not recommended to use surgical masks as alternative because they are not designed to prevent inhalation of small airborne contaminants which are often not visible to the naked eye but still be capable of causing infection.
Objectives: We would like to promote the use of respirators instead of using regular surgical masks in order to reduce the incidence of deaths caused by inhalation of wildfire smoke.
References
Kementrian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan, 2016. Rekapitulasi Luas Kebakaran Hutan dan Lahan Per Provinsi di Indonesia. Jakarta: Direktorat Pengendalian Kebakaran Hutan.
Koplitz et al. 2016. Public Health Impacts of The Severe Haze in Equatorial Asia in September- October 2015. Environmental Research Letters. 11( 9). Doi: 10.1088 / 1748- 9326 / 11 / 9 / 094023
Occupational and Safety Health Administration, U. S. Departement of Labor, 2009. Respiratory Infection Control: Respirator versus surgical mask.
World Bank, 2015. Indonesia ' s Fire and Haze Crisis.
World Health Organization, 2015. Climate Change and Health Country Profile- Indonesia.