Thailand's Air

[Aujuba]

Looking out across the greater BKK metropolis I see well nothing because the sky is a very thick white. It almost looks like a snowy sky. What is that stuff? I guess it's pollution but maybe I'm wrong. As I said on another thread I've had a dry cough for some time now and I really am starting to believe it is from the air. I've never heard of air quality reports here. Do they have air quality information for Bangkok anywhere? There are many things wrong with Thailand but I think this one may just be the one that does me in. It sure is funny that the local people don't seem to talk much about air quality here.

[DtingDtong]

Looking out across the greater BKK metropolis I see well nothing because the sky is a very thick white. It almost looks like a snowy sky. What is that stuff? I guess it's pollution but maybe I'm wrong. As I said on another thread I've had a dry cough for some time now and I really am starting to believe it is from the air. I've never heard of air quality reports here. Do they have air quality information for Bangkok anywhere? There are many things wrong with Thailand but I think this one may just be the one that does me in. It sure is funny that the local people don't seem to talk much about air quality here.

Dont know what that is. But the air is apparently not the best. Have had the cough for about two weeks myself.

[samtam]

I have been plagued by coughs and sore throats in recent weeks. I have no idea why it's so "hazy", but there isn't any heavy industry to contribute to it. Traffic polution is of course another thing. It's odd that it doesn't move, with the current breezes. I think it's something to do with cool air from the north meeting the warmer air in the south.

[toptuan]

As I was teaching a class today, heavy clouds of thick smoke came pouring into the classroom--result of someone nearby burning their garbage. A common occurance. Three hours later, my eyes are still smarting, and throat is raspy. Is it legal to throw the arsonists onto their own pyres?

[guardian]

Probably you should try the air from Doi Phu Kha mountain

[britmaveric]

Terrible in BKK!!!

[cclub75]

Terrible in BKK!!!

Well actually, I think it's related to the temperature (cold right now).

You'll notice that this "fog" is here in the morning and evening.

However, we have air pollution too. So, it should be a... "smog".

[Aujuba]

Did anyone see the documentary on the BBC about 'Global Dimming?' Global dimming they believe is a result of the effects of high levels of particles in the air blocking the suns rays. With an increase of particles in the air over the last century water evaporation worldwide or in many places has decreased. In addition to this, there is another effect. When there is less dust in the air more water molecules will cling to each particle of dust resulting in rain. In the past with less particules in the air rain would fall more evenly throughout the globe and it would fall less heavily. Nowadays with more stuff in the air the water molecules in the air easily attach to a particle but with so few molecules attaching to each particle the rain doesn't fall where it normally would. Instead, the molecules travel further away until the number of molecules on each particle increases to an amount that is heavy enough to make the particle with water molecules fall - rain. But while the mass of dust particules travel they pick up lots of molecules from lots of places and dump it all at once in one place. So when it rains it usually is extreme whereas in the past it wasn't. Does any of this make sense?

The cleaning lady in my office said it looked like rain a couple of days ago but it didn't rain. In fact it has looked like rain one and off for a few days. It sure would be nice if it rained. It would clean the air but it doesn't look like that's going to happen as now it is as they say when it rains, it pours. So we will have to put up with extremely thick goo in the air until it does rain. The scientist on the BBC documentary believed that Global Dimming could actually be worse than Global warming. My conclusion, we're doomed.

[toptuan]

Did anyone see the documentary on the BBC about 'Global Dimming?' Global dimming they believe is a result of the effects of high levels of particles in the air blocking the suns rays. With an increase of particles in the air over the last century water evaporation worldwide or in many places has decreased. In addition to this, there is another effect. When there is less dust in the air more water molecules will cling to each particle of dust resulting in rain. In the past with less particules in the air rain would fall more evenly throughout the globe and it would fall less heavily. Nowadays with more stuff in the air the water molecules in the air easily attach to a particle but with so few molecules attaching to each particle the rain doesn't fall where it normally would. Instead, the molecules travel further away until the number of molecules on each particle increases to an amount that is heavy enough to make the particle with water molecules fall - rain. But while the mass of dust particules travel they pick up lots of molecules from lots of places and dump it all at once in one place. So when it rains it usually is extreme whereas in the past it wasn't. Does any of this make sense?

The cleaning lady in my office said it looked like rain a couple of days ago but it didn't rain. In fact it has looked like rain one and off for a few days. It sure would be nice if it rained. It would clean the air but it doesn't look like that's going to happen as now it is as they say when it rains, it pours. So we will have to put up with extremely thick goo in the air until it does rain. The scientist on the BBC documentary believed that Global Dimming could actually be worse than Global warming. My conclusion, we're doomed.

Then if I could at least get my neighbor next to my classroom to stop burning his garbage, it's "one small step for man...one big step for mankind."....right?

[Jamie]

In my job, I monitor ambient air. I'd like to know what kind of numbers they are getting for ground level ozone and PM 2.5/PM 10. Here in the States we go by the AQI (Air Quality Index). It's basically an index of how good or bad your cities/regions air is. I wonder if they do something similar there.

[Thaddeus]

Check out this link PCD

[meadish_sweetball]

In my job, I monitor ambient air. I'd like to know what kind of numbers they are getting for ground level ozone and PM 2.5/PM 10. Here in the States we go by the AQI (Air Quality Index). It's basically an index of how good or bad your cities/regions air is. I wonder if they do something similar there.

There's a signal system in some street crossings that says blinks and says 'black smoke' if things get too heavy.

[Jamie]

Check out this link PCD

Those numbers actually don't seem that bad. They are pretty similar to what one would see in a larger city in the US during the summer months. Granted, this is just one day out of the year.

Does anyone know if this agency does much? Are they out there fining companies for being out of compliance for something?

[KhunDennis]

I live way out of town in the country side, and the air is worse than most cites I have been in. Can not see the hills in the distance, and the smoke just hangs over the rice fields. It is very disapointing to retire to a place and have this about three months out of the year. I feel like I will damage my lungs, by taking a bicycle ride for my health. Still you constantly see huge coloms of smoke daily, from all kinds of fires and most people don't seem to mind. My wife thinks I complain too much when I mention it.

[billd766]

Strangely enough I live in Thailand as well and the air where I live up in the central region is very good. Yes we get a bit of haze at this time of year when people burn stubble and the hills catch fire again.

The title of the thread should probably read something like the air pollution in the big cities is bad because Thailand is a large country and is not made up of big cities.

The biggest house around here is 3 floors high including the ground floor and my next door neighbour is ove 100 metres away.

I lived and worked in Bangkok for more than 4 years and now I don't even go there unless it is absolutely essential.

[Ned]

Another thing that was said on that programme about Global Dimming was that without all that filth up there we would all fry down here because of all the destruction done to the atmosphere already. Seems that the relatively large pollutant particles act as some sort of filter, filtering out harmful UV radiation and other nasties. So in other words the more pollution the better. It's not lookin' good folks, is it.

[coldcrush]

Living in Bangkok for a year I developed a sore throat most days and a wheezy cough, however that could of been the beer and fags... unsure. Get a Michael Jackson mask?

[chiang mai]

Here's why it's so bad.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHa...p3?img_id=13381

[0Mix1up]

I love Bkk but its air qual is certainly a problem,

I would imagine the rate of

illness and death from respiratory diseases is high? anyone know?

Recently we had alot of bush fires and on certain days with the wind blowing the right direction the whole city(Melbourne) was covered with thick smoke.