Chiang Mai doctor savages authorities as pollution levels soar

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION 
CHIANG MAI 

 

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THE SMOG situation in the North has reached hazardous level, especially in Lampang, where the amount of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) has increased beyond 200 milligrams per cubic metre of air.

 

Air quality in the northern region yesterday, measured by both the Pollution Control Department (PCD) and international air quality monitoring website, aqicn.org, showed that the PM2.5 level in many provinces was rising steadily. 

 

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Meanwhile, a health expert criticised the authorities for their failure to warn and protect people from the threats posed by air pollution.

According to PCD measurements, Lampang’s Mae Mo district had the most hazardous air quality in the nation yesterday. Its PM2.5 level was as high as 208mg in the morning, while the PM2.5 daily average level was recorded at 125.5mg – far higher than the national PM2.5 daily standard level of 50mg and the World Health Organisation’s standard level of 25mg.

 

PCD’s PM2.5 monitoring website reported that Tak’s Mae Sot District and Chiang Mai also had harmful levels of PM2.5, with daily peaks of 163mg and 105.86mg respectively, while the PM2.5 daily averages were 105.9mg and 57mg.

 

The PCD website also revealed that the PM2.5 daily average level in Chiang Mai had been higher than the country’s safe standard since Monday last week, while Mae Sot district has been suffering from severe air pollution for six continuous days.

 

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Meanwhile, aqicn.org revealed that Chiang Rai and Nan faced unhealthy levels of PM2.5, with 160mg and 144mg respectively.

 

Meanwhile, Dr Chaicharn Pothirat, of Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Medicine, said the air pollution problem in the North was already at critical level, but authorities had largely ignored the severity of the problem. 

 

He said they had failed to inform the public of the threats that high PM2.5 levels posed to their health or tell people what they should do to protect themselves from the danger of air pollution.

 

“Right now, the air quality in Lampang is so harmful that all people should stay inside a building that has an air purifier, and always wear an N95 facemask that can filter PM2.5 when they go outside,” Chaicharn said.

 

“However, there is no longer any warnings to people in the North about the PM2.5 levels in their locality, and the facemasks that the authorities distribute to the people are incapable of filtering PM2.5. All of these insufficient measures to protect the people highlight that the wellbeing of citizens is not the authorities’ main concern.”

 

He warned that prolonged exposure to high levels of PM2.5 could lead to many diseases including lung cancer, strokes and heart failure, and increased the chance of premature death.

 

Despite the dangerous level of air pollution in Chiang Mai, many people still were going outside without proper facemasks and many people were jogging in the evening, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30340246

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-06

Cough, cough, yes the air is bad,once again the Government has failed to protect the population in the North, cough, cough, every year they promise to control fires,and so far its 100 % fail, Cough.

 

But they are a lot more serious about smoking a cigarette on a beach down South, imprisonment and a large fine as deterrent, up in the North its business as usual every year at this time. regards  cough, cough Worgeordie

Over the years I have heard many theories about the major source of the smoke that results in fine particle (PM 2.5) air pollution. Is there any up to date informed opinion as to just who or what is doing the bulk of the burning?

 

For those interested in monitoring the air quality in real time download from Play Store:

Air Quality: Real Time AQI

 

11 hours ago, webfact said:

“However, there is no longer any warnings to people in the North about the PM2.5 levels in their locality, and the facemasks that the authorities distribute to the people are incapable of filtering PM2.5.

 

Finally, someone with some expertise gets quoted in the media confirming what I've been saying here for a long time -- the cheap face masks the government typically hands out to the Thai population are entirely useless for dealing with PM2.5 pollution.

 

Somebody in the Public Health Ministry surely knows that. But obviously, that hasn't changed the government's mask handouts. And probably because, N95 rated face masks are considerably more expensive than the cheap, useless drug store kinds.

 

 

Budget for N95 face masks for the people in the north (approved) 1,000,000b....less brown envelopes to the Public Health Ministry "officials" leaving 200,000b to spend on the useless drug store type....