Asia/Pacific News
New Pollution Reporting Method in Singapore
Singapore is adjusting its calculation of Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings to include small particulate matter (PM2.5), starting in May, Channel News Asia reports.
"As a result of PM2.5 being incorporated into the PSI, more days will be classified as 'moderate' compared to before, even though the actual concentration of pollutants has not changed," the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement Tuesday.
"This is purely due to the integration of the PM2.5 concentrations into the PSI scale."
PM2.5 pollutants are being added to five existing factors used to calculate PSI—sulfur oxide (SOx), larger particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3).
Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said PM2.5 concentrations are a public health hazard, and, going forward, they are expected to determine the PSI "almost all the time."
Officials said the existing system, which calculates PSI and PM2.5 levels separately, was confusing to the public.
Balakrishnan said the government is also setting up an international advisory panel on transboundary pollution to provide guidance on solutions to international pollution problems.
Shipping is a major source of PM2.5 pollution in Singapore, along with industrial activities, vehicle emissions, and forest or plantation fires, Singapore news site Today reports.
