AN INVESTIGATION OF AIR QUALITY AT THREE SELECTED LOCATIONS IN MALAYSIA FOR THE PERIOD OF 2009.

The rapid development of the urban and industrial area in several places in Malaysia has seriously increased the risk of air pollutions. Five major pollutants (PM10, CO, SO2, O3, and NO2) in 2009 were employed to study the trend and status of air quality at three selected locations in Malaysia, namely Klang, Petaling Jaya, and Kuala Lumpur. The data is then compared with the recommended of new Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Guidelines (MAAQG) standard and to determine the relationship between the trend and the sources of pollutions. Results showed that the concentration of CO, SO2 and NO2 are obtained below the standard of MAAQG. The concentration of PM10 of all stations, however, exceeds the standard of MAAQG during June, July, and August due to the haze episode in 2009. The increasing trend during peak hour’s shows by CO, SO2, NO2 and PM10 is due to the traffic congestion. Klang recorded the highest of air pollution due to industrial activities which contributed to high pollutants level. The high diurnal trend showed by ozone (O3) demonstrated that the formation of the gas is more influenced by sunlight in the photochemical process.