Banting, Kuala Langat is my hometown. This the place where I was born, grew up, and hopefully where I can grow old. It is a small kampung town with a traditional feeling and green surrounding. You can get access to all sorts of natural assets in this small town. If you wish to catch a sea breeze, Morib is just 15 minutes drive. If you are a fan of paragliding, Jugra is just nearby. If you like historical buildings, Istana Bandar awaits and if you like nature, you can cycle across its unique villages. Not far from this town, is a place called Jenjarom where the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple is located and one of the tourist attractions in the town.
I am not going to write about the uniqueness of this small town in my short blog writing, but I would like to share our recent research finding of the pollution in the industrialised area of this small town.
Our recent discovery found a high concentration of heavy metals, namely lead (Pb) in the sediments of the Langat river in the location nearer to plastic waste recycling factories and other industries in Jenjarom. This has posed the greatest threat to the river as the sediments were moderate to heavily contaminated by the element. Non-dietary ingestion of sediments posed a possible risk of non-carcinogenic effects toward children at certain sites, mainly contributed by lead. Besides that, non-dietary ingestion of sediment posed tolerable carcinogenic risk at all sites, primarily due to Pb and Chromium (Cr).
The discovery highlights our concern that the pollution may relate to the operation of illegal plastic recycling factories in the area. Jenjarom was reported smothered in 17,000 tonnes (17mil kg) of plastic waste and 30 plastic factories were reported sited this area (BBC News) where plastic burning, the release of toxic gases, and river pollution are reported to occur. Therefore, what might help to reduce the risk of pollution is through strict laws and enforcement to prevent the widespread pollution in this small village.
Being in a university as one of the researchers and lecturer, is an advantage to me, as a lot of interesting research has been done with our fellow research team. Curiosity is my best friend in the research work. Among the research topic that I like the most is when it involves environmental pollution. My deep interest in environmental management has motivated me to continue my studies at the masters and PhD levels in the field of environmental health. Every research experience provides satisfaction and new knowledge about the interaction between humans and the environment. We hope our research findings can be translated into public awareness and help to protect the environment.
Dr. Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail is a Research and Lecturer at the Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Environmental and Occupational Health Department.