The volcanic smog (vog) forming over Taal Volcano is unrelated to the smog blanketing the National Capital Region (NCR) where classes were suspended as a matter of safety for the younger generation. According to the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau, the 'foggy' sight in Metro Manila is due to man-made emissions.
FOR the longest time, the Philippine government has been spending lots of its resources to industrialize the country by bringing in industries and mobilities emitting poison into the air – for which the Philippine Congress enacted what is now referred to as the Clean Air Act.
However, not even the Clean Air Act was able to slow down the rapid deterioration of air quality in the Philippines, especially in Metro Manila and adjoining regions where the so-called industrialization embarking on smoke emitting factories and vehicles is at its highest level.
While industrialization has contributed funds in form of taxes and created jobs for the local folks, unchecked pollution levels in the country – particularly in Metro Manila – compromised the health and safety of the population as poisonous particulates in the air went beyond what is deemed “tolerable.”
Volcano Emission
When the restive Taal Volcano emitted sulphuric dioxide on September 21, many were made to believe that the smog covering Metro Manila was caused by the eruption.
However, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) clarified that the volcanic smog (vog) forming over Taal Volcano is unrelated to the smog blanketing the National Capital Region (NCR) where classes were suspended as a matter of safety for the younger generation.
According to the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau, the “foggy” sight in Metro Manila is due to man-made emissions.
The DENR-EMB said spikes in particulates were mainly caused by heavy traffic and thermal inversion. Particulate matter or particle pollution are tiny pieces of particles of solid or liquid that are in the air. These particles may include dust, dirt, soot, smoke and drops of liquid.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology also warded off fears by saying the smog in Metro Manila is not likely due to the vog drifting over Taal Volcano, which is detected west-southwest of the volcano and not going toward the Metro Manila area.
Air Quality Report
According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2022, the Philippines ranked 7th in Southeast Asia and 69th all over the world, in the list of the most polluted countries and territories.
Metro Manila, according to IQAir, is hounded by a particle pollution that is three times more than the World Health Organization-prescribed annual average PM2.5 concentration of 5 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³) or less.
Back in 2020, when Covid-19 lockdowns were still in place, the Philippines saw its air quality improve because of reduced emissions, but as restrictions were lifted, the level of PM2.5, or fine particles, polluting the air rose to an alarming level.
According to the report, 80 percent of the country’s air pollution was from motor vehicles while the remaining 20 percent was from sources such as factories and open burning of organic matter. The weather is a contributing factor, too.
The DENR-EMB monitoring station in Parañaque indicates an Air Quality Index of 217, which means "acutely unhealthy", while Makati and Pateros recorded 128 and 141, respectively.
Rain and Facemasks
In an advisory, the DOH called on the public to avoid going outdoors, unless when buying essentials. Corollarily, the government health experts urged the public to wear protective face masks
The agency was also compelled to issue code white in government hospitals in NCR and adjoining regions to protect the vulnerable patients, even as the local chief executives in Metro Manila and adjoining provinces opted to cancel classes as a matter of precaution.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the meteorological conditions in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon and some parts of Central Luzon were conducive for haze or smog formation, which happens when very small particles get trapped close to the surface due to the presence of a thermal inversion, high humidity, and calm wind conditions.
These floating minute particles in the air could be from smoke, pollutants, or volcanic aerosols. Thermal inversion occurs when layers of the atmosphere do not mix, causing aerosols to get trapped, PAGASA added.
Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum said rain showers could help wash down the pollutants in Metro Manila and the vog in Taal, but sulfur mixing with light rains results in acid rain that could affect the crops.
Lung Cancer Risk
According to the WHO, lung cancer is the second most common type of disease in the Philippines, next to breast cancer.
The DOH report showed a total of 19,180 new cases of lung cancer. The data is 12.5 percent of the total 153,751 new cases of cancer in the country last year among men and women and all ages.
Another data coming from Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) showed that pollution costs P4.5 trillion, 66,000 lives every year, even as the group called on the government not to leave behind programs to control air pollution.
These programs include raising stringent standards to control emissions from coal power plants, adding more air quality monitoring stations, investing in low-carbon transport, and transitioning to renewable energy sources.
“The threat of air pollution to human health — and the external costs associated with long-term exposure to it — increases with growing dependence on fossil fuels,” CREA said.
Time to Shape-Up
For Greenpeace Philippines, the government must first address the outdated air quality standards and the lack of capacity to monitor PM2.5 to ensure that measures to protect Filipinos from health risks are in place.
As stated in the Clean Air Act, the DENR-EMB is required to conduct a review of standards for stationary sources every two years and revise for further improvement.
“However, the National Emission Standards for Source-Specific Air Pollutants have not been updated since they were set in 1999,” Greenpeace Philippines said.
“Now more than ever, the government needs to ensure stringent air pollution mitigation because the surge of air pollution that may arise from the reopening of our economy increases our vulnerability to Covid-19.”
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