Abstract Haze is a common phenomenon afflicting Southeast Asia (SEA), including Malaysia, and has occurred almost every year within the last few decades. Haze is associated with high level of air pollutants; it reduces visibility and affects human health in the affected SEA countries. This manuscript aims to review the potential origin, chemical compositions, impacts and mitigation strategies of haze in Malaysia. “Slash and burn” agricultural activities, deforestation and oil palm plantations on peat areas, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia were identified as the contributing factors to high intensity combustions that results in transboundary haze in Malaysia. During the southwest monsoon (June to September), the equatorial SEA region experiences a dry season and thus an elevated number of fire events. The prevailing southerly and south-westerly winds allow the cross-boundary transportation of pollutants from the burning areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia, to Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo, respectively. The dry periods caused by the El Nino - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) prolong the duration of poor air quality. The size range of particulate matter (PM) in haze samples indicates that haze is dominated by fine particles. Secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA, such as SO42- and NH4+) and organic substances (such as levoglucosan, LG) were the main composition of PM during haze episodes. Local vehicular emissions and industrial activities also contribute to the amount of pollutants and can introduce toxic material such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Haze episodes have contributed to increasing hospital visits for treatments related to chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, upper respiratory infections, asthma and rhinitis. Respiratory mortality increased 19% due to haze episodes. Children and senior citizens are more likely to suffer the health impacts of haze. The inpatient cost alone from haze episodes was estimated at around USD 91,000 per year in Malaysia. Almost all economic sectors also experienced losses, with the heaviest losses in the agriculture and tourism sectors. This review suggests several ways forward to reduce haze episodes in SEA and Malaysia. These include economic approaches, research collaborations and science-policy interface. Improving forecasting capabilities can help reduce response time to burning events and subsequently reduce its impacts. Lastly, commitment and involvement by individuals, government agencies, and the entrepreneurial private sectors are crucial to reduce biomass burning (BB) and haze episodes in SEA.

中文翻译：

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区域雾霾对马来西亚空气质量的影响：综述

摘要 雾霾是困扰包括马来西亚在内的东南亚 (SEA) 的常见现象，在过去的几十年中几乎每年都会发生。雾霾与高浓度的空气污染物有关；它降低了受影响 SEA 国家的能见度并影响了人类健康。这份手稿旨在回顾马来西亚雾霾的潜在来源、化学成分、影响和缓解策略。泥炭地区的“刀耕火种”农业活动、森林砍伐和油棕种植园，特别是在印度尼西亚的苏门答腊和加里曼丹，被确定为导致马来西亚跨界雾霾的高强度燃烧的促成因素。在西南季风期间（6 月至 9 月），赤道东南亚地区经历旱季，因此火灾事件数量增加。盛行的南风和西南风允许污染物从印度尼西亚苏门答腊岛和加里曼丹岛的燃烧区跨界输送到马来西亚半岛和马来西亚婆罗洲。厄尔尼诺 - 南方涛动 (ENSO) 造成的干旱期延长了空气质量不佳的持续时间。雾霾样品中颗粒物（PM）的大小范围表明雾霾以细颗粒为主。二次无机气溶胶（SIA，如 SO42- 和 NH4+）和有机物质（如左旋葡聚糖，LG）是雾霾期间 PM 的主要成分。当地车辆排放和工业活动也会增加污染物的数量，并可能引入有毒物质，例如多环芳烃 (PAH)。雾霾事件导致因慢性阻塞性肺病、上呼吸道感染、哮喘和鼻炎相关的治疗而住院的人数增加。由于雾霾事件，呼吸道死亡率增加了 19%。儿童和老年人更容易受到雾霾的健康影响。在马来西亚，仅雾霾事件的住院费用估计每年约为 91,000 美元。几乎所有的经济部门都遭受了损失，其中农业和旅游业的损失最为严重。这篇综述提出了几种减少东南亚和马来西亚雾霾事件的方法。其中包括经济方法、研究合作和科学政策接口。提高预测能力有助于缩短对燃烧事件的响应时间，从而减少其影响。最后，