This post was updated at 9:00 a.m. on October 26, 2015 to reflect the most recent 3-hour PSI rating.
Singapore is experiencing compromised air quality according to the National Environment Agency (NEA). We are committed to the safety of our students and families, and want to inform you about the criteria we use for the possible cancellation of events and activities.
We are monitoring the air quality on a daily basis and checking the local government-reported Pollutants Standard Index (PSI) so that we are aware of any changes in air quality.
The current SAS haze policy and decision matrix, which can be viewed below:
The Singapore government's Advisory Committee on Ambient Air Quality reviewed various air quality indices used around the world, and recommended that Singapore retain the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), which is backed by health studies and considered relevant to Singapore. As explained on the haze microsite of the National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore's PSI is currently based on six pollutants, including particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). For details on how the PSI is determined, please click here.
While we realize that some parents might access alternative websites to assess air quality, SAS uses the NEA's haze microsite, and specifically the 3-hour PSI found in the upper right corner, when making short-term decisions about student and staff activities. We feel that this is the best way to balance our need to make safe choices about imminent events with the fact that the effects of short-term exposure to particulate matter are not well researched at this date. Parents should be aware that the NEA's health advisories are based on the 24-hour PSI. The NEA uses the 24-hour measurement because, in its words, "the vast majority of studies on the health effects of short-term exposure to PM have used the 24-hour measurements. . . [and] do indeed demonstrate good correlation of health effects with 24-hour PM averages." However, as the 24-hour average may not reflect current conditions, we use the 3-hour average for immediate decisions about outdoor activities. To inform our longer-term decision-making, we use the 24-hour average.
While most international schools are, like us, basing decisions about outdoor activities on the 3-hour PSI measurement, at this point there is no uniform haze policy among them. Some schools are cancelling outdoor activities at readings of 101 (using either the 3-hour average or the 24-hour average), others are using a number of 126, and we and others are using 151. According to the Ministry of Education, local schools should minimize outdoor activities at PSI 24-hour averages between 100 and 200, and cancel all physical exercises, indoors and outdoors, when the PSI exceeds 200.
At SAS, we allow for student participation in outdoor activities when the PSI levels are between 101 and 150, after considering the intensity and duration of the activity (for example, recess, physical education classes, sports practices, or sports competitions). Additionally, we provide more frequent rest periods, indoor rest breaks, and unlimited substitutions when appropriate. Of course, any student may be moved indoors at any time by request or if the student is adversely affected. For indoor safety, SAS has installed two layers of filters on all our fresh air intake units. We have also increased the frequency with which we clean our air-conditioner filters to every two weeks, rather than monthly. The SAS administration will continue to monitor the haze daily to ensure safety for our students and community.
Parents may wonder why some outdoor sports competitions have been cancelled, while others have proceeded. Please be aware that when games are scheduled between different schools, typically the hosting school has the responsibility to decide whether a game will proceed. With ACSIS league games, for example, one school may cancel an event (based on its own school's haze policy) while another would let it go ahead. The same is true of IASAS competitions.
We recognize that different people react to impaired air quality in different ways. Parents also have different comfort levels about what is safe for their children. We encourage any parents whose children are susceptible to respiratory issues to let the school nurses know, so that we may exercise extra caution in these cases. We are also happy to accommodate parents' requests for their children to refrain from outdoor activities due to concerns about air quality, regardless of the PSI readings.
from Singapore American School http://ift.tt/1H3FYbl
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