MMDA field personnel to undergo UP-NIH study

Select field personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are set to undergo a study to determine the association of chronic traffic exposure to hearing loss. 

In a statement, the agency said that those who will participate in the aforementioned program — which will be conducted by the University of the Philippines Manila-National Institute of Health (UP-NIH) — are select personnel assigned at Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).

The study entails a hearing test and in-depth interview on the traffic enforcers (who are classified as civilian uniformed personnel).

MMDA Officer-in-Charge Director Baltazar Melgar expressed support for the aforementioned initiative, noting that traffic enforcers are exposed to health risks such as traffic noise exposure and air pollution while performing their duties.

The study will be led by UP-NIH’s Dr. Kim Ong and will be assisted by the MMDA Medical Clinic headed by Dr. Annabelle Ombina.

“Based on the criteria set by the UP-NIH, traffic enforcers must have a five-year field exposure experience, regardless of their employment status,” Melgar shared, adding that screening “is expected to be done in the second week of August.”

Meanwhile, the MMDA also cited a study conducted by scientist Emmanuel Baja revealing that exposure to black carbon and heavy metals while on duty along the major thoroughfares of Metro Manila (where hundreds of thousands of vehicles traverse daily), affects traffic enforcers' blood pressure and lung function.

The same study also bared that the lead found in enforcers' blood could imply systemic inflammation and may also be linked to heart damage.

Currently, nearly 600 traffic personnel are designated to man the EDSA stretch.

Photos from Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

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