An article by Luh De Suriyani, Bali Daily.

The Bali Environment Agency (BLH) said that air pollution on the island was relatively low, as indicated by a series of tests at several spots in the province last year.

It said that air pollutants remained below guideline limits, although noting that the dust parameter had exceeded expected standards.

“Overall, the quality is still good and people can still enjoy fresh air,” BLH quality control division head Satriya Dewi said Thursday.

The air pollutants assessed by BLH in April and June last year included sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, toxic metals and dust.

For the assessment, the agency placed five teams in different locations in each regency. These areas included bus terminals, ports, roads and densely populated housing estates.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines released in 2005 provided revised limits for the concentration of selected air pollutants: particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Some provinces have set the acceptable local limit for PM at a higher value than WHO, hence, although the pollution level in the area was lower than the local standard, it does not necessarily mean it had passed WHO’s standards.

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