Khon Kaen Air Pollution 2.5 at 833 (5 Feb 2018)

[ELVIS123456]

I have been checking out the Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) website lately, as we are thinking of getting a place near Khon Kaen.  The reading the other day was in the 700s and I thought it was an error - but when I checked again today it was at 833 !! http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/khonkaen/

 

Reading the tables it states that under 50 the air quality is 'Good', and then it has increasing levels of bad air quality categories, up to a maximum of 300 (Hazardous).  So what the hell is 800+  when 300+ is the maximum and is hazardous.  800+ must be outright toxic.

 

Chiang Mai is at 165 today, which falls into the category of 'Unhealthy' and having lived in Chiang Mai for a while I can say that would be right at this time of year.  But what the hell is going on in Khon Kaen? The measuring device in inside the University I believe - are the students playing games with the meter?  Have they put it next to the kitchen burning outlet or something? Is it next to the main highway/road and getting false readings from the trucks going past?

 

The only other places on the AQI world map that are above KK are in NE China (900s) - but those are huge cities which are  full of factories pumping crap into the air 24x7.  There is no where near the same amount of factories in Khon Kaen - so why the extremely high readings? Anyone know what is going on with the air quality in Khon Kaen.  

 

 

[CGW]

800 is very - very! high, I have been in Beijing when it has been 650 & you can barely breathe, Singapore in the height of the burning season only reached a max of 420 so hopefully something is wrong, if it was 800+ be cutting the air with a knife.

[lungbing]

I live in Khon Kaen and I do not notice a problem.  Perhaps the meter giving that high a reading was shoved up the exhaust pipe of a tuk-tuk.

[ELVIS123456]

9 hours ago, CGW said:

800 is very - very! high, I have been in Beijing when it has been 650 & you can barely breathe, Singapore in the height of the burning season only reached a max of 420 so hopefully something is wrong, if it was 800+ be cutting the air with a knife.

Agree - when in CM one day it was just over 200 and the smoke haze was like thick fog. 800 is unlikely to be real.

[ELVIS123456]

3 hours ago, lungbing said:

I live in Khon Kaen and I do not notice a problem.  Perhaps the meter giving that high a reading was shoved up the exhaust pipe of a tuk-tuk.

Thanks - glad to hear from a local.