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Wear
earplugs and drink lots of water, fans advised
By Azrani Rustam SEPANG, Sat. - Those heading to the Sepang International Circuit later this month for the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, might want to heed the advice of the event's chief medical officer, Col Dr Mohd Zin Bidin. "Wear earplugs and drink plenty of water," he said. Dr Mohd Zin, who will be attending to any medical emergencies on the track during the event between Oct 15 and 17, said the F1 race could also pose health risks to those outside the track. He said the noise level of the F1 cars was of concern as it can, if unchecked, cause permanent deafness to spectators. "It's a very noisy event and my advice to those who are going to be there is to bring your earplugs," he told the New Sunday Times today. Dr Mohd Zin said the combined noise level of all the F1 cars during a race can reach up to 140 decibels and anything above 110 decibels over a long period is dangerous. "This can cause noise-induced deafness which is irreversible," he said. He said with the race likely to take up to two hours, the spectators, especially those sitting at the SIC paddock area, need to protect their eardrums with earplugs or ear muffs. Dr Mohd Zin said earplugs were sold to spectators at other F1 races in the World Championship. However, the SIC has yet to decide whether there will be any hearing protection devices on sale during the time trial and race sessions during the GP, which is expected to attract more than 100,000 spectators. "We will come out with a statement on that matter very soon," said SIC public relations manager Shuhainie Shamsuddin. Dr Mohd Zin also stressed that it was important to drink a lot of water, especially if the weather is hot. "On normal days, the temperature can reach a scorching 38 degrees Celsius," he said, adding that the medical team was particularly concerned about the European spectators who will be coming in the droves and who may not be accustomed to tropical weather. Dr Mohd Zin said sustained exposure to the heat can result in exhaustion, heat stress and, in the worst cases, heat stroke. Although medical personnel will be primarily deployed to the race track, the SIC has also prepared medical teams to attend to any emergencies at the spectator stands. Meanwhile, the expert medical team for the race is all set to face any emergencies during the high speed event. Dr Mohd Zin said the team, comprising 43 doctors from the Armed Forces Health Services, has been preparing for the race since June, under the careful supervision of medical experts for the FIA (world racing body). "We are going to make sure that the drivers are safely treated if they are involved in any accident," he said. While the team has never provided medical support for a F1 race, it is no stranger to providing support to motor racing. Dr Mohd Zin's team has been the official medical team for various motorcycle grand prix over the last 10 years, and are well drilled for similar events. "But Formula One is quite different and more complicated," he said, adding that a particular problem is that in the F1, the driver is strapped to the car and is not easily extricated in the event of an accident. "The problem is further compounded by the different driver safety equipment in every car. "There is no standard equipment. So, the straps in the McLaren Mercedes is very different from the Ferrari." The medical team will be operating out of a sophisticated medical centre near the paddock, where two experienced trauma teams are prepared to conduct serious operations. There will be 10 ambulances positioned around the track, with four fast intervention vehicles, four small cars, three extrication vehicles, one safety car and two helicopters to ferry patients to the race's referral hospital, the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Cheras. The SIC also today saw the first in the series of opening ceremony rehearsals, with the full support of the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces, Navy, Air Force and the Police. |
