S’pore is experiencing its 12th consecutive day of unhealthy air, the longest since 2015 haze crisis

Published Oct 16, 2026, 09:10 AM

Updated Oct 16, 2026, 09:10 AM

Singapore has had 11 straight days of unhealthy PSI since Oct 5, the longest haze spell since 2015, and air quality hit “very unhealthy” on Oct 15.

The 2015 haze was worse, with PSI above 300 on two days and a six-week stretch. The current episode is also nearing that length.

The haze is affecting health, with more hospital and clinic visits for asthma, cough and eye irritation. MOH said supplies are enough to cope.

SINGAPORE – Singapore has registered unhealthy Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings daily since Oct 5 - making this 12-day period the longest continuous stretch of poor air quality the country has had to endure since the 2015 haze crisis .

That year, Singapore experienced a 14-day stretch of bad air between Sept 23 and Oct 7, The Straits Times checks on historical 24-hour PSI readings on government data portal Singstat showed.

In comparison, d uring the haze episodes in 2019 and 2023 , Singapore experienced shorter stretches of unhealthy ai r, with each lasting a couple of days.

A day is considered to have unhealthy air quality when the PSI reading at any point in the day exceeds 100 in any part of Singapore .

Singapore’s PSI has five bands - good (0-50), moderate (51-100), unhealthy (101-200), very unhealthy (201-300) and hazardous (>300).

Based on the health advisories pegged to PSI readings, healthy people should scale down normal activities once PSI readings hit 101 and above.

When air quality is considered very unhealthy, people with no health issues should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical activity. At hazardous levels, healthy people should minimise outdoor activities.

Singapore’s air quality index breached hazardous levels in 2015, with readings above 300 .

This year, air quality has so far reached very unhealthy levels.

The PSI first entered this range at 9pm on Oct 14 , with a PSI reading of 203 in the western region of Singapore.

Very unhealthy air quality has persisted, and the PSI in central Singapore was 226 at 8am.

Worsening air conditions have prompted the Government to launch new relief measures.

Community clubs (CCs) across Singapore on Oct 14 began distributing N95 masks to eligible Singaporeans, including Pioneer and Merdeka Generation seniors, lower-income families, pregnant women, children and asthma patients.

Air-conditioned rooms at CCs were also opened as public haze shelters for people needing respite from the unhealthy air.

The haze episodes in 2015 and 2026 were worsened by strong El Nino events.

This weather phenomenon is associated with drier, hotter weather in equatorial ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, which causes the forest and plantation fires there to spiral out of control.

So far in 2026, Singapore has endured almost six weeks of hazy conditions.

Air quality first entered the unhealthy range on Sept 4, and Singapore has since been plagued by periodic bouts of poor air quality. The current stretch of bad air is the longest so far.

The overall duration of this year’s haze so far is also similar to the 2015 episode, with hazy conditions affecting Singapore for about six weeks then.

T he historical PSI data showed that t he Republic started experiencing bouts of haze from Sept 10, when unhealthy air quality was first registered, to Oct 28. Air quality improved and was in the moderate range from Oct 29, 2015.

Impacts of unhealthy air

Hazy conditions can impact human health.

On Oct 13, The Straits Times reported that there has been a spike in visits to clinics and emergency rooms due to haze-related health issues.

The Ministry of Health did not cite figures, but said it was not aware of any cases requiring intensive care unit admission or any mortalities due to the haze.

General practitioners and telemedicine providers also say they have seen a 20% to 30% increase in patients with symptoms that are linked to the haze.

These include runny nose, sore throat, sneezing, conjunctivitis and eye irritation, asthma, skin rashes and respiratory issues.

PM2.5 – particulate matter no bigger than 2.5 microns in diameter, smaller than the width of a strand of hair – is one of the six pollutants measured in the PSI, and is the dominant toxin during periods of transboundary haze.

It is an ultra-fine pollutant that can penetrate deep into human lungs.

Past studies have shown that regular long-term exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to increased risk of death from heart and lung complications such as lung cancer or heart disease.

But a local study published on Sept 28 in the medical journal JAMA Network Open found that even shorter-term exposure could also be linked to more emergency room visits.

It was conducted by researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore General Hospital, the University of Miami and Duke University.

The study had linked small spikes in fine-particle air pollution to an increase in emergency department visits in Singapore for asthma and chronic respiratory disease just a few days later.

Respiratory illnesses

发布于 2026 年 10 月 16 日上午 9:10

更新于2026年10月16日上午9:10

自 10 月 5 日以来，新加坡已连续 11 天空气污染指数 (PSI) 处于不健康水平，这是自 2015 年以来持续时间最长的雾霾天气，10 月 15 日空气质量达到“非常不健康”级别。

2015年的雾霾更为严重，有两天雾霾压力超过300磅/平方英寸，持续时间长达六周。目前的雾霾持续时间也接近2015年的水平。

雾霾影响了人们的健康，因哮喘、咳嗽和眼睛刺激等症状就诊的人数有所增加。卫生部表示，物资供应充足，足以应对。

新加坡——自 10 月 5 日以来，新加坡的污染物标准指数 (PSI) 每天都达到不健康水平——这使得这 12 天成为自 2015 年雾霾危机以来该国遭受的最长的连续空气质量差时期。

《海峡时报》通过查阅政府数据门户网站 Singstat 的历史 24 小时空气污染指数 (PSI) 读数发现，当年新加坡在 9 月 23 日至 10 月 7 日期间经历了 14 天的空气污染。

相比之下，在 2019 年和 2023 年的雾霾事件中，新加坡空气质量不佳的持续时间较短，每次都只持续了几天。

在新加坡，如果一天中任何时间点的 PSI 读数超过 100，则该天的空气质量被认为是不健康的。

新加坡的空气质量指数 (PSI) 分为五个等级——良好 (0-50)、中等 (51-100)、不健康 (101-200)、非常不健康 (201-300) 和危险 (>300)。

根据与 PSI 读数相关的健康建议，健康人群一旦 PSI 读数达到 101 及以上，就应该减少日常活动。

当空气质量被认为非常不健康时，即使没有健康问题的人也应避免长时间或剧烈的户外体育活动。当空气质量达到危险级别时，健康人群也应尽量减少户外活动。

2015年，新加坡的空气质量指数突破了危险水平，读数超过300。

今年迄今为止，空气质量已达到非常不健康的水平。

新加坡西部地区的 PSI 指数于 10 月 14 日晚上 9 点首次进入该范围，当时 PSI 指数读数为 203。

空气质量持续非常糟糕，新加坡市中心早上 8 点的空气污染指数 (PSI) 为 226。

空气质量恶化促使政府推出新的缓解措施。

10 月 14 日，新加坡各地的民众俱乐部开始向符合条件的新加坡人分发 N95 口罩，其中包括建国一代和独立一代的老年人、低收入家庭、孕妇、儿童和哮喘患者。

社区中心还开放了空调房作为公共雾霾避难所，供需要躲避有害空气的人们使用。

2015 年和 2026 年的雾霾事件因强烈的厄尔尼诺现象而加剧。

这种天气现象与赤道东盟国家（包括印度尼西亚）更加干燥、炎热的天气有关，导致那里的森林和种植园火灾失控蔓延。

2026年至今，新加坡已经经历了近六周的雾霾天气。

新加坡空气质量于9月4日首次进入不健康范围，此后一直受到间歇性空气污染的困扰。目前这波空气污染持续时间是迄今为止最长的。

今年迄今为止，雾霾的持续时间与 2015 年的情况类似，当时新加坡的雾霾天气持续了大约六周。

历史PSI数据显示，该国从9月10日（首次记录到空气质量不健康）开始出现雾霾天气，一直持续到10月28日。空气质量有所改善，从2015年10月29日起达到中等水平。

空气质量差的影响

雾霾天气会对人体健康造成影响。

10月13日，《海峡时报》报道称，由于雾霾引发的健康问题，前往诊所和急诊室就诊的人数激增。

卫生部没有公布具体数字，但表示尚未发现任何因雾霾导致需要入住重症监护室或死亡的病例。

全科医生和远程医疗服务提供者也表示，他们发现与雾霾相关的症状患者增加了 20% 到 30%。

这些症状包括流鼻涕、喉咙痛、打喷嚏、结膜炎和眼睛刺激、哮喘、皮疹和呼吸系统问题。

PM2.5（直径不大于 2.5 微米的颗粒物，比一根头发丝的宽度还要小）是 PSI 测量的六种污染物之一，也是跨境雾霾期间的主要毒素。

它是一种超细污染物，可以深入人体肺部。

过去的研究表明，长期规律性接触 PM2.5 与死于心肺并发症（如肺癌或心脏病）的风险增加有关。

但 9 月 28 日发表在医学期刊 JAMA Network Open 上的一项本地研究发现，即使是短期接触也可能导致急诊室就诊次数增加。

这项研究由杜克-新加坡国立大学医学院、新加坡中央医院、迈阿密大学和杜克大学的研究人员共同完成。

该研究发现，新加坡细颗粒物空气污染的小幅激增与几天后因哮喘和慢性呼吸系统疾病而前往急诊室就诊的人数增加有关。

呼吸系统疾病