Airshed board works for better air in 2015

Cebu city air quality is ‘fair to good’ but Naga’s is worse than Metro Manila

Closer air quality monitoring in  Metro Cebu  is expected  with the installation of more pollution monitoring stations by  midyear.

Three devices capable of monitoring toxic substances in the air like sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and carbon oxides will be installed in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay cities.

A similar air monitoring facility operates in the University of San Carlos Technological Center in Talamban, Cebu City.

Installation will be finished by the second quarter of this year, said Cindylyn Pepito, an environmental Management Specialist at the Environment Management Bureau – 7.

Improved monitoring of air quality is one of the priorities of the Metro Cebu Airshed Governing Board  (MCAGB) this year. The board gathered in Cebu City yesterday to discuss the 2015 Air Quality Improvement Plan.

At present,   four air quality monitoring stations in Metro Cebu  measure total suspended particulates (TSP) in the air and finer particulates (PM10).

TSPs are solid pollutants like  dust and soot.  PM10 refers to  finer particles that penetrate lung tissues and can cause pulmonary or respiratory illnesses.

As of 2012, ambient air quality in Cebu was rated “fair to good”.

This was  based on readings of  monitoring stations for TSP in the DENR compound in Banilad, Mandaue City and Cornilla Lao Residence in the boundary of barangays Inoburan and Langtad in the City of Naga. Monitoring of  PM10 is done by devices in the Mabolo Police Station and at the Cebu Business Park in Cebu City.

The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 sets the  healthy guideline values for  air quality —    90 micrograms /normal cubic meter per year and  230 micrograms /Ncm per day for TSP.

For finer particles,   the  guideline value is 60 micrograms/Ncm.

Air quality was “fair” in the  Naga station at an average of 123.78  micrograms per  cubic meter which exceeds the  90 microgram limit. The City of Naga hosts several coal-fired power plants.

The reading was even higher than  Metro Manila’s  total suspended particulates (TSP) last year which reached 118 micrograms per cubic meter.

In 2012, the reading in the Banilad station was ‘good’ with  an annual average of 74.75 ug/Ncm.

For finer particles, the Mabolo station rated air as ‘fair’ (77.34 micrograms) and the air in the  Cebu Business Park station was ‘good’ (36.10) ug/Ncm.

Carlo Miguel Cuizon, an  EMB Environmental Management Specialist,  said Metro Cebu’s current air quality has very minimal hazards to human health.

With   the 2012 data as a benchmark, this year is  crucial to establish an air quality trend after a three-year interval.

Pollution sources

The biggest  source of air pollution or 65 percent are mobile sources –   motor vehicles, planes and ships.

Stationary sources make up  21 percent of pollution  (industrial firms. smokestacks of power plants, hotels, and other establishments) and area sources account for 14 percent. This  includes smoking, burning of garbage, dust from construction, site development and unpaved grounds.

This coincides with national trends, said Pepito.

The MCAGB has been working with local government units and the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

The LTO requires vehicles to undergo emission tests before  vehicle registration can be renewed. The  Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) monitors  vehicle emission in the streets.

Pepito said the EMB is strictly requiring industrial and business firms to install air pollution mitigating devices and monitors actual emissions.

Acute upper respiratory tract infection, an airborne disease,   is a leading cause of death in the region in 2010, according to a study by the Department of Health (DOH) 7.

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