Environmental impact analysis of air pollution resulting from narcotics destruction in South Sulawesi

Abstract

The destruction of narcotics evidence through open burning has the potential to generate air pollutants that adversely affect environmental quality and human health. Although this method is widely used for evidence disposal, limited studies have evaluated the characteristics of pollutant emissions and their environmental impacts. This study aimed to analyze the effects of air pollution resulting from the open burning of narcotics evidence in South Sulawesi and to identify mitigation strategies based on an industrial ecology approach. A field experimental study with a spatial–temporal design was conducted by measuring five air pollutants (SO2, NO2, O3, NH3, and CO) using an Impinger Gas Sampler. Measurements were performed at three observation periods (before, during, and after burning) and three monitoring distances (0,100, and 200 m). Differences in pollutant concentrations across observation periods were analyzed using the Friedman test, while simple linear regression was applied to evaluate the relationship between monitoring distance and pollutant concentrations. The Friedman test demonstrated significant differences in pollutant concentrations across observation periods (P < 0.05), with concentrations increasing markedly during burning and declining afterward, although remaining above baseline levels. Linear regression analysis revealed a strong negative relationship between distance and pollutant concentrations (R2 = 0.750 – 0.993), indicating that pollutant levels decreased with increasing distance. Dispersion modeling estimated that O3 and NO2 could travel approximately 1384 and 1337 m, respectively, whereas NH3 dispersed over approximately 412 m. These findings indicate that emissions from narcotics burning may affect both local and regional air quality. From an industrial ecology perspective, open burning is inconsistent with closed-loop system principles because it releases unmanaged atmospheric emissions. Open burning of narcotics evidence significantly contributes to air pollution and may impact surrounding communities beyond the burning site. The adoption of environmentally sustainable destruction technologies, such as controlled incineration equipped with emission filtration systems, is recommended to reduce pollutant emissions and support environmentally responsible evidence disposal.

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