Air quality is fine in Thailand as Thais say Chinese are exaggerating

[Maestro]

For particulate matter, the WHO has the following guidelines:

 

PM2.5:  10 μg/m³ annual mean
               25 μg/m³ 24-hour mean

PM10:   20 μg/m³ annual mean
               50 μg/m³ 24-hour mean

 

Source: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2006/WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng.pdf (page 9)

[Maestro]

I would have expected Talerngsak Petchsuwan to tell the press what his Department of Pollution control is doing to reduce pollution levels. Does he perhaps believe that his job is limited to compare these levels to those of previous years and if they are similar proclaim that the currently high levels are normal for this time of the year and nothing to worry about since no high number of deaths due to pollution were recorded in the last few years? Good analytical thinking, actually, when you reflect on it.

[jybkk]

3 hours ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Ah, there is the crux of the matter.

 

WHO safe limit <25. Thai safe limit <50. Current levels, in the three-figure range. And forget China; there are international monitors that dispute the Thai interpretation.

Wrong.

 

You're comparing numbers that are using different units. See my explanation here: 

 

[Maestro]

 

Quote

 

Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health
Fact sheet
Updated September 2016

 

Key facts

• Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health. By reducing air pollution levels, countries can reduce the burden of disease from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.
• The lower the levels of air pollution, the better the cardiovascular and respiratory health of the population will be, both long- and short-term.
• The "WHO Air quality guidelines" provide an assessment of health effects of air pollution and thresholds for health-harmful pollution levels.
• In 2014, 92% of the world population was living in places where the WHO air quality guidelines levels were not met.
• Ambient (outdoor air pollution) in both cities and rural areas was estimated to cause 3 million premature deaths worldwide in 2012.
• Some 88% of those premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and the greatest number in the WHO Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions.
• ...

 

Source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/

[Knocker33]

11 hours ago, davehowden said:

Do they all attend the same course on "How to Appear Stupid" I wonder?

What do you mean? Appear to be stupid

[Maestro]

Is it true that the Thai government excludes the PM2.5 in its calculation of the AQI and that this is the reason why the AQI number shown in the Air4Thai app is substantially lower than the number shown in other apps and on other websites?

[simoh1490]

2 minutes ago, Maestro said:

Is it true that the Thai government excludes the PM2.5 in its calculation of the AQI and that this is the reason why the AQI number shown in the Air4Thai app is substantially lower than the number shown in other apps and on other websites?

There was a time when Thailand claimed not to have the equipment necessary to measure PM2.5 accurately, it was very expensive when it was first introduced to the market some years ago and until then many countries had used an assumed PM2.5 measurement which was calculated from the PM10 number and is deemed reliable. So it really doesn't matter where Thailand measures and reports PM2.5 since its value can easily be extrapolated from the PM10 number. And whilst PM 2.5 is contained within the PM10 figure, an AQI reading on the PM2.5 number alone can often be higher than the AQI reading of the PM10, from which it was taken, this as a result of the density of the Particulate Matter.

[Maestro]

 

Quote

 

What is PM2.5 and Why You Should Care

...

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that long-term exposure to PM_2.5 may lead to plaque deposits in arteries, causing vascular inflammation and a hardening of the arteries which can eventually lead to heart attack and stroke. Scientists in the study estimated that for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³) increase in fine particulate air pollution, there is an associated 4%, 6% and 8% increased risk of all-cause, cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality, respectively.

...

 

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

 

[WinnieTheKhwai]

6 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

PM2.5 is either measured precisely or is calculated on the basis of the PM10 measurement, the latter being really quite accurate - this has been known for years in Thailand and on this forum, the excuse has always been that the measuring equipment is too expensive, today it's not and the argument is irrelevant anyway.

 

^ No.   Directly measuring PM2.5 is preferred, because the PM2.5 component of a PM10 reading varies depending on the origin of the pollution.    And the Thai PCD of course measures this for more and more locations, but not all stations have this capabilty.  (They will by 2022 I think, I don't remember which year exactly but it's in progress, press releases are on the PCD site.)

 

4 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

It would be interesting to go back and see year by year how the numbers for Bangkok have changed, or not, using the same AQI index, for whatever period of years comparable data is available.

 

 

You can, the PCD makes both real-time as well as historical data available.   It's at http://aqnis.pcd.go.th/en/data  

 

That's raw PM2.5 numbers, but you can of course convert that to any AQI you prefer. (Like the USA one for example; many people seem to like it.  I've been doing that myself for the past couple years for Chiang Mai.)

 

3 hours ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Ah, there is the crux of the matter.

 

WHO safe limit <25. Thai safe limit <50. Current levels, in the three-figure range. And forget China; there are international monitors that dispute the Thai interpretation.

 

Hmmmmm.... No.   You can read the 2006 publication by the WHO on this.  '25' is a long term strategic goal to try and get as close to that as possible.  It's not intended as a limit that's feasible or achievable for almost anywhere in the world and especially not land-locked Asia.   There are interim goals defined in that paper too, I guess to make it somewhat more feasible.     The proposed Thai PM2.5 limit is at 50 microns, which is pretty strict, that's 137 US EPA AQI (Orange).   It's stricter than China, and less strict than the current USA standard.    However even 50 microns is readily exceeded in some seasons/locations in Thailand so making it any stricter just means they'll go over a lot more.   I think it's fine, and a huge improvement over the old PM10 based limit.

 

10 hours ago, salween said:

Amazing we have to rely on China to get the truth out. Thainess in a nutshell, as real-time data's available for all--journalists too should they choose to look beyond what the government puts out.  

 

Newsflash (apparently..) :  all the PM2.5 based data you see, including the US EPA AQI numbers in pretty orange and red colors on Aqicn.org all originate from the Thai government, which has been excellent in making this available in an automated feed.   You can also look this up on the aqmthai website if you like. 

[marko kok prong]

Oh yea the Thai system= lie as much as anyone could beleive then double it.

[Bangkokazy]

Map of pollution in Asia

Today AM 12:00 Euro time

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

40 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

You can, the PCD makes both real-time as well as historical data available.   It's at http://aqnis.pcd.go.th/en/data  

 

 

That link appears to go to a dead page...

 

And everything else I'm seeing elsewhere on the site appears to be exclusively in Thai language -- even on the supposed EN portion of the website.

Edited February 13, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[YetAnother]

education minister teerakiat, in the news recently, and not long for his new job, called thais 'thick skinned'; he was talking of a narrow context regarding corruption in high-ranking govt folks;

foolishly he did not qualify his comments indicating scope;

this current article regarding air quality is just another in a very long line of examples that show thais have quite thin-skin regarding any kind of criticism or introspection

 

[garyk]

It has started in the north, I went threw this last year. Never again. I am out of here until it clears up some.

[gunderhill]

15 hours ago, davehowden said:

Do they all attend the same course on "How to Appear Stupid" I wonder?

No, some do the "advanced "  course

[Oziex1]

If you know a Thai from up country their gurgurling lungs tell a story of the air quality, no exaggeration.

[quadperfect]

The thai version is only understood by thai people. Us westerners have no idea what is ok and not ok for this country.

Thai have the ability to explain everything . Like borrowed watches. Its thai way.

[Vermonter]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ?[emoji23]?[emoji23]?


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Felt 35]

Why do so many of the cyclists where a face mask now but not 15 years ago...why do 75% of the population 24/7 sneeze, coughing and seems to carry a flu constantly.......

[Henrik Andersen]

Better to lie than telling the truth because lie become the truth if government tell you so

[WinnieTheKhwai]

12 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

That link appears to go to a dead page...

 

And everything else I'm seeing elsewhere on the site appears to be exclusively in Thai language -- even on the supposed EN portion of the website.

 

I tried it, I think it's because the extra space at the end.  Let me put it as a clickable link: http://aqnis.pcd.go.th/en/data

 

And yes it's in Thai.  We're in Thailand. :)   It's not super difficult to make sense of though, the columns are the years in Buddhist Era, the rows are the monitoring stations throughout the country.  So you can pick a Bangkok based station that has a PM2.5 capability.  (Ideally one that has had this for the longest time) and then the PDF pages shows the levels per month, January to December.

 

For example, this is the Din Daeng station for 2015: Din Daeng Pollution Summary 2015

 

In that year, the average PM2.5 value for January and February was around 60, so that translates to a value of 153 (Red) on the US EPA AQI index, and on the AirVisual App that uses the same index. (Not sure if the app existed back then, but PCD data collection definitely existed.)

 

The highest value in that year was 101 as a daily average.  (174 US AQI)

 

This year (I think the Din Daeng station moved.. didn't know that so I'm picking one of the new ones at Rama 4 )  This year the average for the year to date (Jan/Feb) is 45, so that's a bit lower.

 

10 hours ago, speedtripler said:

My independent  phone app Says the bkk air is at "dangerous"  levels and advised I should close the windows and wear a mask.... I've been living  in this air for decades but I think the app thinks it's not like this everyday lol

 

 

 

The app is independent but the Thai government makes the data available.  The app then converts to the US EPA AQI index. 

 

Which ends up at 'Unhealthy.'  'Dangerous' (or "Hazardous" actually) is the most severe level.  At unhealthy you could wear a mask when going outside, but the advisory for this one is: 

 

Quote

The following groups should avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion:

 

• People with lung disease, such as asthma

• Children and older adults

• People who are active outdoors

 

Everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

 

So it's not a good time to go for marathon.    Not sure the AirVisual app icons actually indicate a recommendation, but the EPA scale is made by the EPA, who of course also wrote the advisory associated with it.  It's here: US EPA AQI Information

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Maestro]

10 hours ago, speedtripler said:

My independent  phone app Says the bkk air is at "dangerous"  levels...

 

Actually, it says "Unhealthy". Post a screenshot again when the AQI is over 300 so that we may see shat is says then.

[mikebell]

Yet today Prayuth is praying for rain and has ordered artificial rainmakers into action.

[Maestro]

Understanding the AQI

The purpose of the AQI is to help you understand what local air quality means to your health. To make it easier to understand, the AQI is divided into six categories:

Air Quality Index (AQI) Values	Levels of Health Concern	Colors
When the AQI is in this range:	..air quality conditions are:	...as symbolized by this color:
0 to 50	Good	Green
51 to 100	Moderate	Yellow
101 to 150	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Orange
151 to 200	Unhealthy	Red
201 to 300	Very Unhealthy	Purple
301 to 500	Hazardous	Maroon
Note: Values above 500 are considered Beyond the AQI. Follow recommendations for the Hazardous category. Additional information on reducing exposure to extremely high levels of particle pollution is available here.   Source: https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi

[Maestro]

AQI colors

EPA has assigned a specific color to each AQI category to make it easier for people to understand quickly whether air pollution is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities. For example, the color orange means that conditions are "unhealthy for sensitive groups," while red means that conditions may be "unhealthy for everyone," and so on.

Air Quality Index Levels of Health Concern	Numerical Value	Meaning
Good	0 to 50	Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Moderate	51 to 100	Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	101 to 150	Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.
Unhealthy	151 to 200	Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Very Unhealthy	201 to 300	Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.
Hazardous	301 to 500	Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.
Note: Values above 500 are considered Beyond the AQI. Follow recommendations for the "Hazardous category." Additional information on reducing exposure to extremely high levels of particle pollution is available here.   Source: https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi

[CheGuava]

3 hours ago, Maestro said:

Actually, it says "Unhealthy". Post a screenshot again when the AQI is over 300 so that we may see shat is says then.

 

Yes, although the AQI advisory is based on the daily average.  Many apps will show near-real time readings, so you also get very high peaks.  (As well as much lower values occasionally, but nobody posts those. )

[ExpatOilWorker]

10 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

 

I tried it, I think it's because the extra space at the end.  Let me put it as a clickable link: http://aqnis.pcd.go.th/en/data

 

And yes it's in Thai.  We're in Thailand. :)   It's not super difficult to make sense of though, the columns are the years in Buddhist Era, the rows are the monitoring stations throughout the country.  So you can pick a Bangkok based station that has a PM2.5 capability.  (Ideally one that has had this for the longest time) and then the PDF pages shows the levels per month, January to December.

 

For example, this is the Din Daeng station for 2015: Din Daeng Pollution Summary 2015

 

In that year, the average PM2.5 value for January and February was around 60, so that translates to a value of 153 (Red) on the US EPA AQI index, and on the AirVisual App that uses the same index. (Not sure if the app existed back then, but PCD data collection definitely existed.)

 

The highest value in that year was 101 as a daily average.  (174 US AQI)

 

This year (I think the Din Daeng station moved.. didn't know that so I'm picking one of the new ones at Rama 4 )  This year the average for the year to date (Jan/Feb) is 45, so that's a bit lower.

 

The app is independent but the Thai government makes the data available.  The app then converts to the US EPA AQI index. 

 

Which ends up at 'Unhealthy.'  'Dangerous' (or "Hazardous" actually) is the most severe level.  At unhealthy you could wear a mask when going outside, but the advisory for this one is: 

 

So it's not a good time to go for marathon.    Not sure the AirVisual app icons actually indicate a recommendation, but the EPA scale is made by the EPA, who of course also wrote the advisory associated with it.  It's here: US EPA AQI Information

 

This is brilliant information. If you ever find a station with old data and feel like making a graph for PM2.5 and AQI index over time, please share.

 

Is the conversion from PM2.5 to AQI linear or how did you convert the 60 to 153?

[Sunderland]

So many ways that the pollution in Bangkok could be reduced. But there is zero interest in doing so.

Mai pen rai.

[ExpatOilWorker]

10 minutes ago, Sunderland said:

So many ways that the pollution in Bangkok could be reduced. But there is zero interest in doing so.

Mai pen rai.

They have also done a lot. 2-stoke bikes were phased out 20 years ago. Buses are slowly being converted to CNG. Big power plants near the city are all burning natural gas.

Of course more can be done, but that will always be the case. 

[SoilSpoil]

37 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

They have also done a lot. 2-stoke bikes were phased out 20 years ago. Buses are slowly being converted to CNG. Big power plants near the city are all burning natural gas.

Of course more can be done, but that will always be the case. 

 

The main contributor to the present smog problem is farming, not traffic or bad weather. 

Mae Sot, Lampang, Isan, Kanchanaburi, Chantaburi, Chiang Mai all have the same smog levels as Bangkok.

Only Saraburi and Samut Sakhon are worse due to mining and industries.  

 

Right now, 6pm the highest pm2.5 concentration are to be found around Ayuthhaya, which indicates burning of rice fields.

http://berkeleyearth.lbl.gov/air-quality/map.php