Air quality in chiang mai currently

[watgate]

I realize their already is a topic for smoke and pollution but decided to post here to try and get some immediate feedback concerning the current situation of smoke and pollution in chiang mai. I have been experiencing problems with my breathing this year in chiang mai and it started about 1 month ago. I have been coming here for the past 9 years and arrived this year in May. This is the first year where it has hit me hard and I finished off a course of antibiotics and other assorted meds about 1 month ago and I was feeling better. Now, again I am coughing and spewing up stuff from my lungs and most likely have developed another infection in my lungs. I am concerned about long term effects of the lack of air quality in chang mai and the detrimental effects in has on your lungs and breathing. A guy at the gym I go to who has only been in chiang mai for a few weeks has told me he is having problems with his breathing and can smell smoke. He also said other farangs in the hotel where he is staying are also experiencing problems with their breathing. I always thought the air started to deteriorate in January due to the burning and it gets progressively worse as the burning intensifies and the end of January and February and March are very bad due to all the burning that is going on in Thailand and SE Asia. My g/f is trying to tell me to go get some meds at a pharmacy and I will feel better in a few days but I am thinking that this is only masking the problem and not dealing with the root cause of my breathing problems. I guess if I had a car and lived in a place with a/c  and spent a lot of time in a/c  malls you could maybe escape some of the pollution but then you would be a captive to the pollution. I have always enjoyed coming to chiang mai to spend time with my g/f but am worried about ruining my health due to this incessant pollution in chiang mai. Is the air quality bad now in chiang mai? I am having to reconsider my future plans going forward and am thinking of  going to Isan for a couple of months to get away from this air pollution. I was wondering what other folks think and if they are experiencing any health related problems associated with the air quality in chiang mai?

[Mahseer]

Personally I think it's good at present but there certainly was a smoke smell in the air around the 9/10th but that's now passed. I am in the city so experiences out of town may differ.

 

If you are concerned about your health have an evacuation plan in place for mid February but Isaan or anywhere else in northern parts of Thailand, Burma and India will not necessarily offer any cleaner air.

[Bill97]

See a doctor, you are sick.


Sent from my iPod touch using Thaivisa Connect

[MalandLee]

Ignore these and dozens more reports like them at your peril :-

 

http://annx.asianews.network/content/haze-forces-hospitalisation-64000-thailand-12212

 

https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/over-64-000-hospitalised-in-northern-thailand-for-haze-116032200291_1.html

 

Your choice.

[Mahseer]

2 hours ago, MalandLee said:

Ignore these and dozens more reports like them at your peril :-

Those reports are from March and very few if any who live here deny that March and April the air is absolutely deplorable and anyone/everyone who can get out of here does so but the point of the initial post was present air conditions here. To me it's absolutely fine.

[XGM]

4 hours ago, watgate said:

decided to post here to try and get some immediate feedback concerning the current situation of smoke and pollution in chiang mai

It really depends where you are exactly. There is local burning going on since the rains stopped. There has also been local burning going on during the rainy season, whenever there was a big enough interval to allow that.

[donnacha]

The air quality is undoubtedly worse than this time in previous years, but that is what you would expect from a city that has been growing hyperactively for the past few years. This is unconnected to the smoky season.

People who stay mostly in the center might not realize how the outer ring roads have been upgraded and how many new condo blocks and gated housing estates have been springing up in previously empty spaces. Development has been radiating outwards to the North, East and South.

Most of those people have cars and, even before the high season hit, traffic jams were becoming more common. Now you find that some journeys that used to take ten minutes take over an hour, and all those trapped cars sit there, belching out pollution.

The new base level of pollution in this city comes from different sources than the smoky season, but it will, of course, compound it. My lung health is good, so, I only leave during the truly dangerous period (mid-January to mid-April / Songkran), but if I was having any sort of lung problems, even just recovering from an infection earlier in the year, I would not stay in any Asian city.

Edited December 11, 2018 by donnacha

[Sparkles]

We noticed the burning has got off to an early start 2 weeks ago on the Samoeng loop Rd.Just indiviuals raking and burning mostly leaves in at least 6 different locations.Yes its stupid but put it down to ignorance/lack of rural education.All our leaves go into a compost heap.Composting seems an unknown method that is beneficial once its returned to the soil.

 

To me its also been an unusually "hot" winter so far and a distinct lack of breeze.That doesnt help as CM geographically lies in a bowl affect,once the smog settles it just doesnt go away. 

[chingmai331]

Where my friends is perfect in this world?  Cars, motos, buses, lorries everywhere, uncontrolled, esp in Asia. Populations grows in size and desire to live in cities.  Tourists from large population centers (China) coz untold disruption of  traditional values and confound property values.

This place, Thailand, is better than many countries, but not without faults. Weather, air pollution, poor public service and lack of democratic opportunities are real but don't affect me very much. 

 

Important, TO ME, is the low cost of housing and food, the easy-going and friendly nature of the locals, the many fruits and vegs available, the numerous golf courses nearby, the very good and affordable medical/dental care, and the generally warm weather.  

 

 

[brommers]

If you check the AQI of various places it looks like CM is not doing badly yet. For example CM is currently on a 56 score, Singapore 75, New York NY 57, London 57, New Delhi 227, Beijing 73 & Tokyo 37.

 

It will be fascinating to see how this develops in the burning season.

[orang37]

17 hours ago, chingmai331 said:

Where my friends is perfect in this world?

In a quiet mind that forgets perfection.

 

~o:37;

[orang37]

You need to go see a pulmonary specialist immediately. I suggest you go to Maharaj hospital and see a senior professor at the medical school: information on Maharaj here:

 

link: Maharaj Hospital aka Suan Dok, Sriphat unit for non-Thais

 

best wishes for your health, ~o:37;

[donnacha]

2 hours ago, brommers said:

It will be fascinating to see how this develops in the burning season.

Just make sure you are fascinatedly watching how it develops from somewhere safe, far away.

For maximum schadenfreude, be sure to enjoy how all the posters who spend the rest of the year downplaying how bad the smoky season is on all the forums and Chiang Mai Facebook groups, suddenly disappear once it actually kicks in ????

[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, donnacha said:

For maximum schadenfreude, be sure to enjoy how all the posters who spend the rest of the year downplaying how bad the smoky season is on all the forums and Chiang Mai Facebook groups, suddenly disappear once it actually kicks in ????

 

I'm just hoping for a bit of dry weather, never mind the smoke.

Raining again today!

Edited December 12, 2018 by BritManToo

[sammieuk1]

Yes there is air and currently and luckily I'm breathing it ????

[marquis22]

 

 

How to Deal with Chiang Mai’s Smoky Season

https://www.tielandtothailand.com/chiang-mai-smoky-season/

[madmen]

Where my friends is perfect in this world?  Cars, motos, buses, lorries everywhere, uncontrolled, esp in Asia. Populations grows in size and desire to live in cities.  Tourists from large population centers (China) coz untold disruption of  traditional values and confound property values.
This place, Thailand, is better than many countries, but not without faults. Weather, air pollution, poor public service and lack of democratic opportunities are real but don't affect me very much. 
 
Important, TO ME, is the low cost of housing and food, the easy-going and friendly nature of the locals, the many fruits and vegs available, the numerous golf courses nearby, the very good and affordable medical/dental care, and the generally warm weather.  
 
 

Not much good when you die early due to complications from inhaling all that crap.

[Sandman77]

I was leaving Chiang Mai after one week this year the red soing tails smelling higher then in any other place in thailand


Gesendet von iPhone mit Thaivisa Connect

[LawrenceN]

On 12/11/2018 at 8:28 AM, Mahseer said:

Personally I think it's good at present but there certainly was a smoke smell in the air around the 9/10th but that's now passed. I am in the city so experiences out of town may differ.

 

If you are concerned about your health have an evacuation plan in place for mid February but Isaan or anywhere else in northern parts of Thailand, Burma and India will not necessarily offer any cleaner air.

I agree it's fine right now, but I was thinking just the opposite, i.e. that it would be worse in the city due to traffic. I live in Sansai and ride my bicycle north, east, and west. I've seen a few burnt fields and the odd rubbish pile, but nothing that would really affect air quality majorly. My house has a view of the whole ridge of Doi Suthep, and I can tell you there have been no flaming hillsides (yet).

 

Lots of people cough in the winter. Sleep warm and see a doctor.

[XGM]

It's Excellent NOW. Because we had a bit of rain!

[The Theory]

It won’t effect all people the same way. Some by short time and some by long time exposure. 

It is definitly getting worse year after year. 10 years ago you would not see any Chinese tourist, but now ? Just same as sang thoug(red trucks)how many do you see now ?

I will probably leave next year since it is getting too much for me. CM is not what it used to be, but there are smaller cities that look like 20 years ago of CM. 

What CM is now is only a mini BKK. 

[BTB1977]

Sounds normal for Chang Man to me . 

[hmficc]

Sounds like chronic bronchitis which can develop into COPD which is hell.

My wife went through this. Fine outside of CM and sick within days of a visit.

Leave and if you return with clear eyes you will wonder how you ever allowed yourself to breath such filth.

[watgate]

   hmficc- You say fine outside of chiang mai. How far outside of chiang mai would you suggest?                                                                                                                                                             

 

[mikey88]

If You’re having those symptoms then it’s obviously not good.

You can monitor the real time pollution index daily to build up some kind of picture.

I’ve checked it a few times before this recent rain and it was not very good at all.

The 2.5 particles seem to be the ones to beware of ...there are masks for these particles if you want to wear a mask..

There are also in room particle filter machines you can buy...

 

Good luck...the advice about a pulmonary specialist seems sound.

 

 

[jak2002003]

I think OP has a medical problem with his lungs that is not related to air pollution.

 

The air now is fine.. look online.  Love clear skies now.  

 

 

[LomSak27]

Great weather as the rains of last week cleared it out. crystalline yesterday. 

Chiang mai pollution is bad during late Feb tell the rains come in May.  That said in case you somehow have missed it it is bad all over mainland SE Asia during the same time period and has always been that way.  Today it's car pollution plus industry added to burning season, thirty years ago they burned more. Nothing was more common than taking bus journeys or trains across Thailand at night and seeing the snake lines of fire as they burned off the hillsides. Kind a gets me nostalgic. Yes it does get worse today in CM but it was always bad.

Well light is coming to the eastern horizon and I need to get out there for my morning jog. Later

Edited December 17, 2018 by LomSak27

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 12/11/2018 at 8:09 AM, watgate said:

I realize their already is a topic for smoke and pollution but decided to post here to try and get some immediate feedback concerning the current situation of smoke and pollution in chiang mai.

 

This is one of the better sites for monitoring day to day, and hour to hour, what's going on with air pollution in CM and elsewhere.

 

http://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/

 

Green means good. Yellow means moderate. Orange means unhealthy for sensitive folks. Red means unhealthy period.

 

In the past 48 hours, the air pollution in CM has been for the most part good to moderate. And it probably was somewhat similar in the days before.

 

Thus, I'd guess your respiratory problems are rooted in something else, and you definitely should consult a pulmonary doctor about what's going on with your lungs.

 

Later in the spring of 2019, undoubtedly, the air pollution in CM will get very bad and could cause acute respiratory problems for sensitive or compromised folks.  But right now, that's not occurring yet.

 

If you look across the top line of the chart below, you'll see the PM2.5 levels in CM for the past 48 hours, and PM2.5 is really the air pollution element to be most concerned about, since those are the tiny particles that can be absorbed into your lungs and actually get into your bloodstream. Green and yellow levels means things right now are pretty good.

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[chingmai331]

So here's a question regarding the PM2.5 particles: do ordinary cloth/paper masks deny those tiny particles entry into my lungs?  Sure, the masks will stop the big things but 2.5 microns is pretty darn small and might sneak through the weave of the mask.

[mikey88]

16 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

I think OP has a medical problem with his lungs that is not related to air pollution.

 

The air now is fine.. look online.  Love clear skies now.  

 

 

It’s not actually.

the particulate matter 2.5 microns or under is the indicator to look at.

Its seems fairly consistently in the ‘moderate’ range.

its hardly ever in the ‘green’ range that I can see.