TWO more pupils from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar in Pasir Gudang, Johor, are being treated for exposure to toxic fumes, bringing the number of people who had undergone treatment to 31, said Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

The Health Minister saidthey were referred to the Pasir Gudang Health Clinic and later warded at Sultan Ismail Hospital yesterday. 

“Both pupils are being treated at the children’s ward and are in stable condition.

“Six other pupils warded earlier were discharged yesterday,” he said after opening the National Blood Donors drive in Kuala Lumpur.

Eighteen students from the school have fallen ill so far.

Yesterday, the Health Ministry said 29 pupils and staff from two schools in Pasir Gudang have been treated for exposure to toxic fumes, months after pollution in Sungai Kim Kim led to the closure of 111 schools and 4,000 people falling ill.

Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the source of the contamination has yet to be identified.

A command and monitoring centre has been opened at the Pasir Gudang Stadium to assess the situation.

Dr Dzulkefly also ruled out that the children had food poisoning and said it was toxic fumes that caused them to fall ill. 

“We have sent the clinical samples to our lab in Petaling Jaya for toxicology tests.

“The Johor Health Department will continue to monitor the situation on the ground.” 

When asked if they had identified the source of the pollution, Dr Dzulkefly said the agencies are working on identifying the source of the pollution. 

The Johor Department of Environment said there was no reading of any pollution in Pasir Gudang. 

The Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry said DoE will continue to monitor the air quality at schools in a 2km radius. – June 22, 2019.