Researcher: Long-term exposure to bauxite dust can lead to Alzheimer

Extensive digging for bauxite at Felda settlements near Bukit Goh leading to dusty and damaged roads has driven Felda to appoint the Bukit Goh Bauxite Mining Management Commitee to develop a standard operating procedure for mine operators.

KUANTAN: Long-term exposure to bauxite dust can lead to miners and residents living along transport routes developing Alzheimer's disease, said Research fellow at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin's (UniSZA) Air Quality Division of the East Coast Environmental Research Institute, Dr Azman Azid.

He said bauxite contained aluminium hydroxide and if inhaled, the bauxite dust, which is released into the air over a long period of time, could block the oxygen supply to the blood and nervous system.