Originally published on March 4, 2014
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Singapore has stockpiled 16 million N95 face masks in case haze generated from forest fire in Indonesia returns, the government announced on Tuesday.
Major retail outlets around the country have about 280,000 such masks in stock. The Singaporean government is planning to distribute N95 masks to those in need through non-governmental organisations.
For the past few years, the country has been plagued by toxic haze drifting from Indonesia, where forest fires are rampant because of unchecked slash-and-burn farming. Relations between the two nations have chilled as a result of the environmental menace.
Haze brings a swarm of particulate matters, which comprise small particles and liquid droplets. They differ in size, but two common pollutants, PM10 and PM2.5, have a diameter less than ten microns and 2.5 microns respectively.
Often called coarse particles, PM10 particles are the dominant pollutants found in haze. These particles pose a considerable health threat, as they can penetrate into the trachea and the bronchi. PM2.5 particles are even deadlier, as they can reach all the way down to the alveoli.
N95 masks are considered among the most effective face masks and can block the entry of PM10 and PM2.5 into the lungs.
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