Ho Chi Minh City appears radiation fog

In the days of 16, 17 and 18-4, early in the morning, people in Ho Chi Minh City marveled to find many places where the fog was thick. Talking to us, Mr. Le Thi Xuan Lan, Deputy Head of Forecast - Serving Department of Hydrometeorology in the Southern region said that this is not a normal fog phenomenon but mist due to dust and smoke.

Dust concentration exceeds the standard from 3 to 7 times

April, Ho Chi Minh City on the peak of the hot season. On many major roads intersecting all urban districts, traffic jams often occur. Miserable passersby because of the hot sun and dust of motorbikes and cars surrounding. New congestion less than five minutes, many people have seen dizziness, stinging eyes, suffocation - the symptoms of car smoke poisoning.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has more than 2 million motorbikes and 500,000 cars of all kinds (not including millions of vehicles in the provinces in the city). Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment said motorcycles now account for more than 80% of the total traffic volume in the inner city. This is the main target of increasing air pollution for the city.

Department of Environmental Protection HCMC for bi

Ho Chi Minh City people wear masks when going out to protect their health.(Photo: H. Thuy)

The concentration of lead in traffic smoke is increasing rapidly, from 1.4 to 2.4 times the previous year. Other toxic substances in the air also increased, such as benzene concentration increased by 1.1 to 2 times, toluene concentration increased from 1 to 1.6 times.

At 3 pollution monitoring stations due to traffic located in Hang Xanh roundabout, Phu Lam roundabout and Dinh Tien Hoang - Dien Bien Phu crossroads, the measured results show that dust concentrations at all stations exceed the permitted standards. from 3 to 7 times, the highest is at Phu Lam roundabout, the increase of the next month compared to the previous month is 1.24 times.

Contains a lot of toxic substances

According to Mr. Le Thi Xuan Lan, normal fog is the phenomenon of condensation of water vapor into tiny particles in the air layer close to the ground, reducing horizontal visibility to less than 1 km. Fog is often divided into categories: radiation fog, misty mist, fog in the valley, dry blind . The phenomenon of fog in Ho Chi Minh City in the past few days has been classified as a type of radiation mist.

Lan said: We often think that fog is harmless, but it is not. Normally, solar radiation will disperse the dust and melt away, but when there is a mist of dust and dirt being held near the ground. Especially during the current seasonal weather, when there is no rain yet, the fog appears to be polluted with air so it contains a lot of toxic substances. The more traffic smoke and dust, the higher the pollution level. At this time, the main fog is smoke, suspended dust plus steam, so the fog can directly affect the human respiratory system.

Also according to Lan, there is currently no solution other than protecting yourself. When going to the street, wear a mask to avoid inhaling dust and smoke in the fog. And the means of transport, to avoid accidents due to limited visibility, should be slow, careful.

There should be drastic scientific solutions

The Ho Chi Minh City Environmental Protection Department has arranged 6 monitoring stations to monitor and measure the index of substances that often cause air pollution in many areas, and propose functional agencies to reduce the situation. Air pollution is increasing in the area.

Scientific studies have warned that contaminants from motor vehicle emissions enter the lungs and even into human blood, which can cause eye and respiratory problems.The long-term effects of motor vehicle emissions can lead to diseases such as infertility, heart, kidney and lung cancer .

According to health experts, there are currently no materials that can help create masks to prevent toxic gases and small-sized particulate matter (in engine exhaust) from entering the human body.

In order to minimize air pollution, there should be drastic scientific and administrative management solutions.According to the plan, in 2007, the Register and the Ministry of Trade will propose new fuel standards for Vietnam.With the new fuel quality will minimize some harmful organic substances and help the emission system be able to self-purify dirt.

QUANG AN - MY DUNG