Air pollution also affects adults and causes heart problems or lung disease."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The US Embassy is operating two units of air quality monitoring equipment to provide information on the condition of air in Jakarta.
"We have air quality monitoring equipment installed at 24 US Embassies around the world. Such equipment can also be found in our embassies in Vietnam, Peru, and Mongolia," US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O. Blake stated here on Tuesday.
Such monitoring equipment will only track PM 2.5 pollutants, or particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which are widely considered to be the most detrimental to respiratory health. The index is calculated based on data collected over a 24-hour period. The U.S. EPA has developed a formula to convert raw PM 2.5 readings into an air quality index value that can help to arrive at health-related decisions.
The ambassador remarked that the two units would be placed in Central and South Jakarta. The units will be connected to the air monitoring network in Indonesia and abroad.
He noted that air pollution mainly affected the lungs and caused breathing problems. Children face a greater risk due to air pollution as they are active, and their lungs are developing.
"Air pollution also affects adults and causes heart problems or lung disease," he explained.
Therefore, the two monitoring units will help tackle climate change and air pollution.
"You can check the air quality levels worldwide on the webpage of the US Embassy," the ambassador added.
(Uu.A063/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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