JOHOR BARU: A doctor and the leader of an environmental group disagree that bird droppings were a contaminant that caused vomiting and breathing difficulties in pupils of SK Tanjung Puteri Resort in Pasir Gudang.

They have called for a further examination of the cause.

Dr Syarif Abd Wahab, who practises in a private clinic in Batu Pahat, said bird droppings would only be harmful to human health via direct contact and not through inhalation.

He said even if bird droppings could cause people to become ill, it was unlikely to have been the case in Pasir Gudang.

The authorities, he added, should check the water quality and drainage system at the primary school to determine if they were contaminated with bird droppings.

“Bird droppings could only be harmful to people if they come in direct contact with the excrement, leading to them showing symptoms such as difficulty in breathing and diarrhoea,” he said yesterday.

Among the health dangers associated with bird droppings are histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis (fungal infections), food poisoning, and E coli in food or water supply.

Dr Syarif urged the authorities to conduct proper in-depth tests before coming up with any theory, adding that a majority of the victims in Pasir Gudang showed symptoms that were unlikely to have been caused by bird droppings.

Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar also said it was unlikely that bird droppings contributed to the pollution.

“Pollution is a very serious matter, and to say that bird droppings are a possible cause is unacceptable.

“The authorities should engage proper experts and conduct a thorough study,” he said.

On Tuesday, State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said Johor was not ruling out the possibility that contamination from bird droppings had caused several episodes of vomiting and breathing difficulties among pupils of SK Tanjung Puteri Resort.