The consequences of urban air pollution for child health: What does self-reporting data in the Jakarta metropolitan area reveal?

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, the air pollution level in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area has arguably been one of the highest in developing countries. This article utilizes selfreporting data on illnesses available in the 2004 National Socio-Economic Household Survey to test the hypothesis that air pollution impacts human health, particularly among children. Test results confirm that air pollution, represented by the PM10 level in a sub-district, significantly correlates with the level of human health problems, represented by the number of restricted activity days (RAD) in the previous month. Results show that the younger the person, the higher the number of RAD in the previous month; that is the impact of a given level of PM10 concentration is more hazardous for children.