Air Pollution Index Trend Analysis in Malaysia, 2010-15

Air pollution index (API) is used in Malaysia to determine the level of air quality. API is based on the calculation consist of pollutants PM10, O-3, CO2, SO2, and NO2. Unhealthy air quality can harm human health and the environment as well as property. In view of this fact, a study of air pollution trend analysis in Malaysia from 2010 to 2015 was performed with the objective of determining the API trend in Malaysia from 2010 to 2015. A dataset of API value was obtained from the Air Quality Division, Department of Environment Malaysia (DOE). In this study, 19,872 datasets for all Malaysian air quality monitoring stations that had API value greater than 100 and a total of 52,584 datasets for Muar District in Johor were used. XLSTAT add-in 2014 was used to analyze the API hourly reading. Analysis shows that the air monitoring station at Sekolah Menengah Teknik Muar in Johor shows the highest value of API reading with 663 on 23 June 2013 (emergency level), where on that day Malaysia faced its worst air quality due to haze episodes. Other locations also show the worst air quality with API registering at unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous levels.