Smoke absorbers for flats of elderly poor

Source : Straits Times - 11 Apr 2009

SMOKE absorbers will be installed in at least a thousand households of elderly folk islandwide, to reduce their risk of inhaling incense smoke.

It is the first project funded by the Goh Keng Swee Foundation, a private charitable organisation set up in the name of Singapore’s former deputy prime minister by his wife Phua Swee Liang last November.

The idea is the brainchild of the Active Retirees’ Association (ARA), a group set up in 2003 for those aged 50 and above, which organises voluntary activities for its more than 100 members.

ARA president Jackson Chia Sze Soon, 65, said its volunteers had noticed during their house visits that many seniors burn joss sticks at home.

He said: ‘Some of the flats are full of smoke and soot. These people are facing a risk but they are not aware of it.’

These dangers were highlighted in a study conducted by the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) department of community, occupational and family medicine, and reported in The Straits Times last August.

The study found that burning incense at home over long hours for more than 40 years significantly increased one’s risk of contracting cancers in the upper respiratory tract, including cancers of the nose or sinuses, tongue, mouth and windpipe.

However, Mr Chia said, it was hard to persuade the elderly to open their doors and windows for ventilation: ‘They are very reluctant to open the door; they don’t want people to peep in.’

So, the association came up with the alternative of installing smoke absorbers.

Associate Professor Rajasekhar Bala from NUS’ division of environmental science and engineering said these devices could lessen the effects of incense smoke, though the extent depends on the efficacy of the device, the direction of smoke and its proximity to the incense.

One recipient is former karung guni or rag-and-bone man Ng Soon Siang, 77, who yesterday had the device installed in his one-room Geylang Bahru rental flat, near Kallang, which he shares with his 50-year-old adopted daughter.

The devices, which have a carbon filter and cost $25 each, are sponsored by the Goh Keng Swee Foundation.

The charity is also earmarking $8,600 for financial assistance so that 57 needy elderly can get $100 to $400 a month.

Yesterday, 17 residents in Geylang Bahru received the financial aid from one of the foundation’s directors, Mr Wong Kok Hoi.

ARA’s Mr Chia said some seniors were affected by the economic crisis because their children had lost their jobs and were unable to support them, while voluntary welfare organisations, which distributed food to them, had cut back because of tighter budgets.

For Madam Tang Amah, 69, and her 67-year-old husband who live in a one- room rental flat, the $200 she received will go towards paying her arrears.

She said in Mandarin: ‘I’m happy because the sum of money offers me a breather. Sometimes, when we owe people money, we are bothered by it.’

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About the foundation

THE foundation’s three main objectives are to give out scholarships to needy students, help those with medical problems and aid the poor and needy.

The funds come mainly from the joint savings of Dr Goh and his wife, Dr Phua Swee Liang, and from their friends. Also providing funds are ST Engineering and the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation.

Office bearers are not paid salaries, to reduce administrative costs. The board is made up of Dr Phua, Dr Goh’s niece Goh Bee Lian, former civil servant Goh Kim Leong and APS Asset Management chief investment officer Wong Kok Hoi.

Those who wish to contribute or make requests can contact the foundation:

Goh Keng Swee Foundation Ltd
c/o Rajah & Tann LLP
77 Robinson Road #05-00
Singapore 068896
Tel: 6507-9688
E-mail: gks@rajahtann.com