Dirtiest air found at Edsa-Taft Aves.

People suffering from asthma or lung ailments should stay away from the corner of Edsa and Taft Avenue in Pasay City.

According to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, the air in the vicinity of the busy intersection has been measured to be the dirtiest in Metro Manila.

Paje said that the measuring station of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the area had indicated that the amount of total suspended particles (TSP) in the intersection was at 280 ug/ncm (microgram per normal cubic meter). The normal standard is 90 ug/ncm.

As of the third quarter of the year, the average level of air pollution in Metro Manila was at 116 ug/ncm.

Suspended particulates from vehicles consist of carbon monoxide and sulfur molecules that have mixed with dust.

Weather and environment officials said that pollution is responsible for the smog that blankets the metropolis at this time of the year.

It also leaves residents in the metropolis vulnerable to upper respiratory diseases.

Paje said that about half of the medicine sold in Metro Manila are for respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic cough.

To reduce pollution, the DENR secretary urged local governments to regulate the use of fireworks during the holiday season.

Paje noted that pollution from firecrackers would also set back the country’s gains in reducing air pollution, especially in Metro Manila, where the TSP levels declined during the first three quarters of the year.

He said it would be helpful if local governments would establish common firecracker zones where people could safely enjoy fireworks and make cleaning up afterward an easier task, translating into fewer fires, injuries and deaths.