Detection of Toxic Air Pollutants Exceeding International Safety Limits in Jalan Kayu, Punggol or Seletar
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the detection of hazardous air pollutants in Jalan Kayu, Punggol, and Seletar, as Mr Low Wu Yang Andre inquired about potential safety limit breaches and residents' long-term health risk assessments. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu Hai Yien responded that Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels in north-eastern residential areas are well within international guidelines, with benzene concentrations significantly below global exposure limits. To address resident concerns, the National Environment Agency will begin publishing more frequent ambient benzene data categorized by geographical location on its website. Policy efforts to maintain air quality include reducing industrial and vehicular emissions and engaging in bilateral information exchanges with Malaysia regarding cross-border pollution issues. The Ministry and the National Environment Agency will continue to review air quality targets and monitor data trends through five-yearly State of the Environment reports to safeguard public health.
Transcript
69 Mr Low Wu Yang Andre asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether any hazardous air pollutants or volatile organic compounds exceeding international safety limits were detected in Jalan Kayu, Punggol or Seletar over the past five years; (b) if so, what were the identified sources; and (c) what specific long-term health risk assessments have been conducted for residents in these areas.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: In addition to pollutants comprising the Pollutant Standards Index, the National Environment Agency (NEA) continuously monitors a range of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) at its ambient air monitoring stations. Long-term data trends of key pollutants are published in the State of the Environment (SOE) report every five years. The first edition of the report was published in 2021, with a second edition due to be released later this year.
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) and NEA have been working with Punggol Grassroots Advisors to address similar concerns from residents.
VOC readings at our ambient air monitoring stations in residential areas, including four in the north-eastern regions, are well within relevant international guidelines. One of the VOCs of interest is benzene. On an annual basis, Singapore's national ambient benzene level is approximately 0.3 parts per billion (ppb), well below international benchmarks, such as the European Union long-term exposure annual limit value of 1.6 ppb. For shorter term exposure, the US EPA 1-hour Acute Exposure Guideline Level-1 (AEGL-1) represents the airborne concentration above which the general population could experience notable discomfort or irritation. The hourly benzene readings across each of these ambient air monitoring stations are well below 1% of the AEGL-1 threshold.
Arising from our engagements with Punggol grassroots advisors in recent months, NEA will be making data on ambient benzene levels available to the public more regularly via their website including by geographical locations.
Good air quality safeguards public health and a good living environment. We have a range of policies in place to safeguard air quality, such as efforts to reduce vehicular and industrial emissions. On the bilateral front, we regularly engage our Malaysian counterparts through existing platforms to exchange information on environmental issues of mutual interest, including cross-border pollution concerns.
MSE and NEA will continue to review our ambient air quality targets and efforts to ensure that they remain relevant and effective in safeguarding a clean and liveable environment for everyone.