Trans-boundary air pollution from biomass burning like forest fire is a
recurrent environmental problem in Southeast Asia. This raises inevitable
issues of the impact of increasing air pollution on human health. Biomass
burning releases large amounts of particulates (solid carbon combustion
particulates) and gases. Uncontrolled forest fire in Southeast Asia
especially Indonesia and Malaysia has caused smoke pollution (haze).
The haze episodes in Southeast Asia contributed to substantial health
problem of the public in 1 997 and early 1 998. Exposure to gas and
particulate air pollution resulted in adverse health effects i.e. an increase
in the morbidity and mortality due to respiratory and cardiovascular
diseases however the biological mechanisms responsible for this
association are not clear