If you looked out of the window in Kepong this week, you already know the haze in Malaysia is back. The Department of Environment’s Batu Muda station — the one closest to us — has been sitting in the “unhealthy” band for most of the week, reading 155 on the morning of 29 August, with Cheras at 160 and Shah Alam at 154. MetMalaysia expects the smoke from fires in southern Sumatra and Kalimantan to keep drifting over on the south-westerly winds until at least the end of the month.
The Ministry of Health (KKM) has issued its standard seven-step advisory. It is good advice.
First, know your number: what the API actually means
The Air Pollutant Index (API) is published hourly by the Department of Environment at apims.doe.gov.my and in the MyJAS EQMS app. During haze it is driven almost entirely by PM2.5 — particles small enough to pass through the nose and throat into the lungs and, from there, into the bloodstream. That is why haze affects the heart as well as the chest.
API
Band
What it means for you
0–50
Good
Normal activity
51–100
Moderate
People with asthma, heart or lung disease may notice symptoms; reduce prolonged outdoor exertion
101–200
Unhealthy
Everyone should limit outdoor activity; high-risk groups should stay indoors
201–300
Very unhealthy
Stay indoors; schools are closed under Ministry of Education guidelines
Above 300
Hazardous
Avoid going out; a state of emergency may be declared at 500
Check the station nearest you, not the national headline. Kepong and Batu Caves residents should look at Batu Muda; Sri Damansara and Desa ParkCity fall between Batu Muda and Petaling Jaya.
Who needs to take this more seriously
Haze bothers everyone, particularly these four groups are more subsceptible due to the potential medical issue rather than an inconvenience:
Children — they breathe faster relative to their size, spend more time outdoors, and their lungs are still developing.
Older adults, especially those with heart disease, previous stroke, or reduced lung function.
Anyone with asthma, COPD, or bronchiectasis — PM2.5 is a reliable trigger for flare-ups, often a day or two after the worst readings.
Pregnant women — the evidence links sustained heavy exposure to lower birth weight and preterm birth, so it is worth being cautious without being frightened.
Add to that list anyone with diabetes or chronic kidney disease, because these conditions already put strain on the blood vessels that fine particles inflame.
KKM’s 7 steps — and what Dr would add to each
1. Drink enough water
KKM suggests at least eight glasses a day. Water does not “flush out” particles — nothing does — but it keeps the lining of your nose and throat moist, which makes the irritation more tolerable and helps you clear mucus.
If you have heart failure or advanced kidney disease and have been given a fluid limit, keep to that limit; do not override it because of the haze.
2. Limit outdoor activity
This is the step that does the most work. Every hour spent indoors with the windows shut is an hour of substantially lower exposure. In practice:
Above API 100, move exercise indoors. Running in haze multiplies the dose you inhale several-fold because you breathe harder and deeper.
Above API 100, schools stop outdoor physical activity;
Above 200, the Ministry of Education closes schools. Check with your child’s Kindergartens and tuition centres if they follow MoE orders.
For children with asthma, we would keep them in from about API 100, not wait for the school to close.
3. Wear the right mask — an N95, not a surgical mask
KKM’s advice is specific for a reason: a surgical or cloth mask does not filter PM2.5. It is designed to catch droplets, not fine particles, and its loose edges let unfiltered air in.
A properly fitted N95 or P100 removes at least 95% of fine particles.
“Properly fitted” is the catch. An N95 only works when it seals against the skin, so it will not protect a person with a beard, and it does not fit most children under about seven — adult N95s are simply too big for small faces. For a young child the honest answer is to keep them indoors rather than rely on a mask.
One more caution: an N95 makes breathing harder.
If you have COPD, heart failure, or you are in the later stages of pregnancy and find it uncomfortable, that is a reason to stay in rather than to push through.
4. Wash your face and hands when you come home
Simple and worth doing. Particles settle on skin, hair, and eyelashes, and rubbing hazy eyes with unwashed hands is the main reason “haze eyes” turn into conjunctivitis. Rinse gritty eyes with clean water or lubricating eye drops; avoid steroid or “red-eye” drops unless prescribed.
5. Clean up your indoor air
Closing windows keeps most of the smoke out. Air-conditioning helps because it circulates room air rather than pulling in outside air — set it to recirculate if it has the option, and clean the filter.
A HEPA air purifier makes a real difference in one room, so put it in the room where the household’s most vulnerable person sleeps, close that door, and let it run. Do not burn incense, mosquito coils, or candles indoors during haze — they add PM2.5 to a room you are trying to clear.
6. Do not smoke — especially indoors
A cigarette indoors during haze is roughly the worst thing a family member can add to the air. Vaping is not a safe substitute. If you have been thinking of quitting, a haze week is a surprisingly good time to start, because the cough you get from smoking now has nowhere to hide.
7. In the car, use recirculation mode
Press the button with the arrow looping inside the car outline. It stops the cabin from drawing in roadside air, which during haze is usually worse than the reading at the monitoring station. Air-con on, recirculation on, windows up.
If you have asthma or COPD: three things to do today
Check your reliever inhaler (the blue one, usually salbutamol) is in date and in your bag. Do not leave it at home because “it’s only a short trip”.
Keep taking your preventer every day, even if you feel fine. This is not the week to skip doses.
Know your action plan. If you are needing your reliever more than every four hours, or it is not lasting, that is not haze irritation — that is a flare-up. Come in, or go to the nearest emergency department if you are struggling to speak in full sentences.
If you do not have a written asthma action plan, that is worth a short visit in itself.
Symptoms: what’s expected, and what isn’t
A dry cough, a scratchy throat, watery or gritty eyes, and a runny nose are the ordinary effects of breathing smoke, and they settle once the air clears. They are unpleasant, not dangerous.
See a doctor within a day or two if you have: a cough lasting more than a week, wheezing or a tight chest, a cough that keeps you or your child awake at night, fever with the cough, or eyes that are red, sticky, or painful rather than merely irritated. Children who become unusually quiet, breathe faster than normal, or are eating and drinking less should be seen the same day.
Go to the nearest emergency department or call 999 immediately if there is difficulty breathing or breathing that is getting faster, blue or grey lips, inability to speak in full sentences, chest pain or pressure, confusion or drowsiness, a reliever inhaler that is not working, or a child whose ribs are pulling in with each breath. Do not wait for the haze to clear.
Is a KN95 or KF94 as good as an N95?
When they are genuine and fitted well, KN95 (Chinese standard) and KF94 (Korean standard) filter fine particles comparably. The weak point is the same — the seal. Ear-loop masks tend to seal less tightly than head-strap N95s. Any of them is far better than a surgical mask for haze.
Can my child wear a mask?
A child-sized N95 or KF94 can fit from around age 7, and children with asthma benefit most. Younger children generally cannot get a seal and may not tolerate the mask; keeping them indoors is more effective. Never put a mask on a child under two.
Does drinking more water or eating certain foods protect the lungs?
Water helps with throat and eye irritation, and a normal diet with fruit and vegetables is sensible, but no food or supplement removes particles from the lungs or prevents the effects of haze. Reducing exposure is the only thing that does.
Should I stop my morning walk?
Above API 100, yes — or move it to a mall or indoors. Above 50 if you have heart or lung disease. Early morning is often the worst time during haze, so if you must go out, midday readings are sometimes lower.
Is it safe to keep the fan on and the windows open at night?
Not on an unhealthy day. A fan simply moves outdoor air around the room. Close the windows, use air-conditioning or a purifier if you have one, and if the room becomes too warm, a fan with the windows shut is still better than open windows.
The honest summary
Of KKM’s seven steps, two do most of the work: stay indoors with the windows closed as much as you reasonably can, and if you must go out, wear an N95 that actually seals. If you have asthma or COPD, make sure your inhalers are in reach and your preventer is being taken. Everything else is helpful but secondary.
If a cough has lasted more than a week, if there is wheeze or a tight chest, or if a child is breathing faster than usual, do not wait for the sky to clear.
At Klinik Medilove Keponggi we are open daily and can assess breathing, check oxygen levels, give nebuliser treatment when needed, and review your asthma plan. If breathing is difficult right now, go to the nearest emergency department.
