Bangkok Air Pollution

[keemapoot]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

that's about the worst overall set of daytime readings for BKK that I can recall since the current smog season started. It's a VERY BAD day out there today.

 

Yeah, I've been playing with my new SNDWAY PM2.5 detector today and it's shocking. In my S. Sathorn Bangkok condo with the windows shut (very airtight condo), the reading is over 75. Doesn't seem to make any difference if the air conditioners are running or not, but they are quite new. Outside this morning the reading was 170, and I went to lunch at MK in one of the small malls, inside the mall the reading was not quite red but 120 or so, and inside the restaurant near 90. Really quite shocking.

 

Luckily I also have a home in the high country 3 hours from BKK I escape to when not needed in Bangkok, and most of the readings there are below 50 green, though today in yellow I see.

Urban China Beijing type levels now. Horrible.

[Banana7]

Bangkok AQI is 5th worst in the world today at 17:30 at US AQI 159, tied with Tashkent Uzbekistan, see here

https://www.airvisual.com/world-air-quality-ranking

[fishism]

7 hours ago, Misty said:

Anyone know where to purchase or order filtrete paper?  Been searching and it looks like HomePro and Lazada are sold out for the forseeable future.

I could't find any either online or in some random stores but I did find some Daiso branded ones which are installed on the outside of the unit.( cannot see any mention of pm2.5 or HEPA on the packaging though )

 

It would be great if someone with a particle meter can try them out to see if they work as I couldn't find any pm2.5 meter local to purchase and now with the Chinese shutdown for a week or two, it is even more difficult to source anything.

[fishism]

Schools closed for 2 days, which means the boy will be subjected to pollution at home rather than the filtered classrooms ????

 

When I picked him up today in western Bangkok (Khet Talingchan), he asked me if it was raining, I tried to explain that the air is just dirty but he didn't quite understand, he keeps asking what all the filters are around the home but how do you explain what clean air feels like?

[fishism]

On 1/29/2019 at 6:23 PM, Jajazazajaja said:

No, I’ve never worn one as they look a bit daft. 

 

Alas this pollution means I’ll go get one.

 

its unusually bad this year. Isn’t it?

I thought the same, feels a bit embarrassing, but I finally bought the Xiaomi Purely Mask yesterday for 999 baht, maybe a bit steep but it does have a fan with changeable inner lining and filters. I did forget to wear it today, oops.  

[puukao]

b   l     a      c      k             pink?

 

NO.   b  l  a  c  k                 lung.

 

and i still see parents with infants walking around, afraid to cancel their great trip even if it means their kid's lungs will have problems forever.  funny how they act like it won't happen to their kids.  or them.  

 

carry on, just smile and act like you don't notice anything.  no action, your fault.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, keemapoot said:

Yeah, I've been playing with my new SNDWAY PM2.5 detector today and it's shocking. In my S. Sathorn Bangkok condo with the windows shut (very airtight condo), the reading is over 75. Doesn't seem to make any difference if the air conditioners are running or not, but they are quite new. Outside this morning the reading was 170, and I went to lunch at MK in one of the small malls, inside the mall the reading was not quite red but 120 or so, and inside the restaurant near 90. Really quite shocking.

 

Luckily I also have a home in the high country 3 hours from BKK I escape to when not needed in Bangkok, and most of the readings there are below 50 green, though today in yellow I see.

Urban China Beijing type levels now. Horrible.

 

A little bit of information -- and education -- can be a powerful tool!

 

When you mention the numbers above, I'm assuming you're talking about micrograms of PM2.5 as shown on your Sndway sensor -- not AQI values?

 

My home in Sukhumvit was in the high 70s to low 80s earlier today in an unfiltered room. And in my experience, regular air conditioning with regular filters does little to nothing to control PM2.5 levels.

 

As far as outside, one of the things that drives PM sensors crazy is any kind of cooking activity, so it's not surprising to see high readings around restaurants.

 

 

[keemapoot]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

A little bit of information -- and education -- can be a powerful tool!

 

When you mention the numbers above, I'm assuming you're talking about micrograms of PM2.5 as shown on your Sndway sensor -- not AQI values?

 

My home in Sukhumvit was in the high 70s to low 80s earlier today in an unfiltered room. And in my experience, regular air conditioning with regular filters does little to nothing to control PM2.5 levels.

 

As far as outside, one of the things that drives PM sensors crazy is any kind of cooking activity, so it's not surprising to see high readings around restaurants.

 

 

Yes, mine is a PM2.5 sensor. Government just announced all schools are closed two days from tomorrow. All Unis too, all schools. Serious crap!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, keemapoot said:

Yes, mine is a PM2.5 sensor. Government just announced all schools are closed two days from tomorrow. All Unis too, all schools. Serious crap!

 

Do you have any kind of air purifier for your living space, or just the sensor only?

 

PS - Just keep in mind, what your Sndway sensor displays is micrograms of PM2.5.  But if you start looking at websites re air quality readings, they're typically going to report numbers on the AQI scale, which is entirely different/separate from micrograms.

 

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[keemapoot]

18 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Do you have any kind of air purifier for your living space, or just the sensor only?

 

PS - Just keep in mind, what your Sndway sensor displays is micrograms of PM2.5.  But if you start looking at websites re air quality readings, they're typically going to report numbers on the AQI scale, which is entirely different/separate from micrograms.

 

 

Yeah, I just bought the PM2.5 only because that seems to be the only real danger now in BKK. The AQI realtime website delivers the other readings if I need them, but notice the AQICN.org website is leading with the PM 2.5 reading for BKK.

 

Never needed (or thought I needed air filters before as I have a newer condo but guess that is now wrong). Have already been limiting my time in BKK and beating it up the country home much as possible. I feel sorry for everyone else who might live in not well sealed homes or places.

[keemapoot]

Just got a very interesting result though which dropped the PM 2.5 reading by 10 points to 62 now. We just had the whole place vacuumed and really helped. Evidently the fine dust particles manage to seep in somehow regularly, so vacuuming really helps as a tip to all.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, keemapoot said:

 but notice the AQICN.org website is leading with the PM 2.5 reading for BKK.

 

 

The numbers AQICN reports are U.S. AQI values for PM2.5, not micrograms of actual PM2.5 as shown on your sensor. Two entirely different values and ways of measuring for the same pollutant.

 

[keemapoot]

Just now, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The numbers AQICN reports are U.S. AQI values for PM2.5, not micrograms of actual PM2.5 as shown on your sensor. Two entirely different values and ways of measuring for the same pollutant.

 

Thanks for that. I guess I will have to read up on this.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, keemapoot said:

Just got a very interesting result though which dropped the PM 2.5 reading by 10 points to 62 now. We just had the whole place vacuumed and really helped. Evidently the fine dust particles manage to seep in somehow regularly, so vacuuming really helps as a tip to all.

 

Keeping one's home dust free (usually wet mopping) is always a valuable thing for keeping the indoor air cleaner.

 

But you have to be careful about using regular vacuum cleaners that don't have PM2.5 or HEPA filter bags, because, what they'll tend to do is simply blow the tiny pollutants into the air.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, keemapoot said:

Thanks for that. I guess I will have to read up on this.

 

AQI is a standardized way of talking about the health impact of air pollution levels -- good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive, unhealthy for all, hazardous, etc.

 

Whatever individual pollutant has the highest level on the AQI scale is the one that gets reported as that area's AQI.

 

In Thailand and BKK in particular, PM2.5 is almost always the highest pollutant as measured on the AQI scale, so the AQI value almost always is for PM2.5...  But it's not a measurement in micrograms of PM2.5 like on your sensor...  There's a formula that converts micrograms of PM2.5 into AQI values....

 

[keemapoot]

Just found this chart and if I understand it correctly it means that the readings on our meters are MUCH WORSE than we thought?

https://blissair.com/what-is-pm-2-5.htm

 

PM2.5	Air Quality Index	PM2.5 Health Effects	Precautionary Actions
0 to 12.0	Good 0 to 50	Little to no risk.	None.
12.1 to 35.4	Moderate 51 to 100	Unusually sensitive individuals may experience respiratory symptoms.	Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.
35.5 to 55.4	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 101 to 150	Increasing likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals, aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly.	People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion.
55.5 to 150.4	Unhealthy 151 to 200	Increased aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; increased respiratory effects in general population.	People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid prolonged exertion; everyone else should limit prolonged exertion.
150.5 to 250.4	Very Unhealthy 201 to 300	Significant aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; significant increase in respiratory effects in general population.	People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid any outdoor activity; everyone else should avoid prolonged exertion.
250.5 to 500.4	Hazardous 301 to 500	Serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; serious risk of respiratory effects in general population.	Everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion; people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should remain indoors.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, keemapoot said:

Just found this chart and if I understand it correctly it means that the readings on our meters are MUCH WORSE than we thought?

https://blissair.com/what-is-pm-2-5.htm

 

PM2.5	Air Quality Index	PM2.5 Health Effects	Precautionary Actions
0 to 12.0	Good 0 to 50	Little to no risk.	None.
12.1 to 35.4	Moderate 51 to 100	Unusually sensitive individuals may experience respiratory symptoms.	Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.
35.5 to 55.4	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 101 to 150	Increasing likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals, aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly.	People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion.
55.5 to 150.4	Unhealthy 151 to 200	Increased aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; increased respiratory effects in general population.	People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid prolonged exertion; everyone else should limit prolonged exertion.
150.5 to 250.4	Very Unhealthy 201 to 300	Significant aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; significant increase in respiratory effects in general population.	People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid any outdoor activity; everyone else should avoid prolonged exertion.
250.5 to 500.4	Hazardous 301 to 500	Serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly; serious risk of respiratory effects in general population.	Everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion; people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should remain indoors.

 

Yep, that's a good chart, based on values of the U.S. AQI...the same one used by the AQICN website.

 

In terms of your sensor, you want to be paying attention to the first column for micrograms of PM2.5.  Anything up to 12 mcg is "good" and up to 35 mcg is moderate... Beyond that, you're getting into varying levels of unhealthy.

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Pib]

Yeap, those are from the US EPA Rule/Regulation on Air Quality...below is a snapshot from the EPA rule.

 

[keemapoot]

Just now, Pib said:

Yeap, those are from the US EPA Rule/Regulation on Air Quality...below is a snapshot from the EPA rule.

 

So, to put this into perspective for everyone out there, I am in a new construction (2 yrs) tightly sealed condo, very clean, with the windows and doors tightly shut, and running air con. My current readings inside are 59, which is in the red unhealthy, and this morning outside I recorded close to 170 on the roof of the condo which is VERY unhealthy on that chart. 

 

I think I'm not alone in underestimating how bad the air is now, because of not understanding the AQI relationship fully. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, keemapoot said:

So, to put this into perspective for everyone out there, I am in a new construction (2 yrs) tightly sealed condo, very clean, with the windows and doors tightly shut, and running air con. My current readings inside are 59, which is in the red unhealthy, and this morning outside I recorded close to 170 on the roof of the condo which is VERY unhealthy on that chart. 

 

I think I'm not alone in underestimating how bad the air is now, because of not understanding the AQI relationship fully. 

 

Construction of one's home can definitely impact how much a purifier can keep the indoor air clean.

 

But without a purifier, no housing unit is airtight, so there's always going to be outside air getting inside -- otherwise you'd suffocate!  You've got to be breathing something indoors, and outdoors is where that air is coming from.

 

What a well sealed home can do is help your purifier do a good job of keeping the indoor air clean, by limiting the influx of bad/unfiltered air from outside.

 

[lopburi3]

19 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

There's a formula that converts micrograms of PM2.5 into AQI values....

 

This is the conversion website for US values.

https://aqicn.org/calculator/

[Pib]

Yeap, the air quality is really bad right now.  Like reported earlier Bangkok has the 4th worst air of any major city on Earth for today....today is very bad.  Wonder how the Tourism Authority of Thailand will spin that ranking.

 

 

[NewGuy]

This might be useful:

 

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.calculator

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, NewGuy said:

This might be useful:

 

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.calculator

 

That's the official one from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and allows conversions in both directions -- PM2.5 micrograms to AQI, or, AQI to PM2.5 micrograms

[Pib]

I going outside now to take another Bangkok PM2.5 reading.

[MaxYakov]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Is that N95 or FFP2 certified?  I've seen those in the past at home improvement stores here....and not recall seeing any certification for PM2.5.

 

Excellent question. I don't know and they don't say even though it's a 3-layers of filter material. It seemed to be effective in that the outer layer would get dirty and the inner layer would not, although it's not rated like the 3M filters.

 

I've recently replaced the original filter with a 2-layer filter made of material I've cut from a 3M N95, PM2.5 disposable filter with an outer (pre-filter) layer of 3M Filtrete^TM filter material. Breathing restriction is not too bad with this dual-layer. That's one of the beauties of this unit - the filter material can be replaced with a custom (and hopefully, superior) filter material. This image actually shows the mask with the upgraded 3M PM2.5 disposable filter material installed before I installed the 3M Filtrete^TM outer layer.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by MaxYakov

[RickG16]

How bad is it right now? And in which areas is it worst in BKK?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

How bad is it right now? And in which areas is it worst in BKK?

 

Take your pick...

 

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/

 

[RickG16]

Just now, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Take your pick...

 

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/

 

Nice map... but when walking about, is there actually a lack of visibility? Can you feel it when you breath?

[Pib]

4 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

Nice map... but when walking about, is there actually a lack of visibility? Can you feel it when you breath?

 

I can feel it when breathing....I can see the polluted air when looking at a distance object.  For example take a look at the picture below of Bangkok on 14 Jan....today (30 Jan) is worst than 14 Jan.