Bangkok gagging on health-threatening smog

[webfact]

Bangkok gagging on health-threatening smog

By The Nation

 

 

 

Weather conditions trapping air pollutants in the lower atmosphere created a health risk over a large swath of Bangkok and its vicinity on Friday morning.
 

Residents shared photos of the early winter smog on social media through the morning.

In the severest reports, the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 7am was 214 along Rama II Road in Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district, 207 in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district and 204 in Samut Sakhon’s Phra Pradaeng district.

 

The AQI safety limit is 100.

 

 

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) said the air pollution was expected to linger in the area for at least two more days, into Sunday.

 

The amount of PM2.5 – airborne particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter – was measured at 80-100 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thien, Yannawa, Sathorn, Thon Buri, Lat Phrao, Sampanthawong and Pathumwan districts, well beyond the safety limit of 50 micrograms, the PCD reported.

 

It advised residents to minimise the time they spend outdoors and to wear a face mask when they do go out, and to refrain from burning waste outdoors and from driving cars and trucks that belch black exhaust fumes.

 

Real-time AQI reports can be viewed on the PCD phone application “Air4thai” and the websites http://air4thai.pcd.go.th and http://bangkokairquality.com.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30360885

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-21

[flyingtlger]

Yikes! The air is becoming as dirty as the politicians.....

 

 

[Maverell]

Its time vehicles belching black exhaust fumes were seized and crushed !

[kotsak]

As the acronym says, SSDY ????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

33 minutes ago, webfact said:

Real-time AQI reports can be viewed on the PCD phone application “Air4thai” and the websites http://air4thai.pcd.go.th and http://bangkokairquality.com.

 

 

Get the picture... It means.... UNHEALTHY!

 

 

For the third straight day now, and more to come heading to the weekend:

 

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/bangkok/chulalongkorn-hospital/

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It's worth noting, more in symbolism and face saving than anything else, that Thailand seems to use its own color coding for smog levels that's different/lesser than elsewhere.

 

In Thailand, AQI (Air Quality Index) levels from 100 to 200 seem to be coded as orange and unhealthy. And 200 and above is coded as red / very unhealthy.

 

But elsewhere, AQIs of 101 to 150 are coded as orange / unhealthy for sensitive folks, and 151-200 is coded as red / unhealthy, while 201 to 300 is coded as purple / very unhealthy.

 

The upshot is, most of today's smog levels get coded by the Thais as orange, but elsewhere, they'd get coded mostly as red (AQI 151-200), which perhaps sends a more severe color signal that the Thai authorities don't really want to send.

 

 

 

[JimShorts]

48 minutes ago, Maverell said:

Its time vehicles belching black exhaust fumes were seized and crushed !

Agree, however vehicles only make up 25% of the total pollution in Thailand. 50% comes from crop burning, 25% from Industry. 

[JimShorts]

Blaming the weather for poor air quality is incorrect, the weather is not the source of the poor air quality. 

 

Telling people to stay indoors is not very helpful, unless they have air purifiers running indoors, the air quality indoors is pretty much the same as outdoors, sometimes worse. 

[nikmar]

1 hour ago, Maverell said:

Its time vehicles belching black exhaust fumes were seized and crushed !

There wont be many buses left then.

[samsensam]

 

Weather conditions trapping air pollutants in the lower atmosphere created a health risk over a large swath of Bangkok and its vicinity on Friday morning.

 

inaccurate reporting, as anyone in the capital yesterday - thursday - could clearly see the smog

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

30 minutes ago, JimShorts said:

Blaming the weather for poor air quality is incorrect, the weather is not the source of the poor air quality. 

 

Telling people to stay indoors is not very helpful, unless they have air purifiers running indoors, the air quality indoors is pretty much the same as outdoors, sometimes worse. 

 

I think the part about staying indoors is more oriented at having people avoid a lot of physical exertion (which means heavy / deeper breathing) during periods of heavy / dangerous air pollution.

 

If you're out exercising or jogging or whatever, you're sucking a lot more of the gunk into your lungs than if you're sitting quietly at home typing on a PC....   And of course here, you're also being exposed to the belching buses, trucks and others if you're anywhere near a heavy traffic area such as walking along a roadway.

 

FWIW, the PM2.5 sensor in my living room, which right now has unfiltered air because I'm not using that room yet today, is currently showing 52 micrograms, which translates into an AQI of 142. The closest public sensor to my home is at Chula Hospital, which was showing an AQI of 129 as of 11 am.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

Weather conditions trapping air pollutants in the lower atmosphere created a health risk over a large swath of Bangkok and its vicinity on Friday morning.

 

inaccurate reporting, as anyone in the capital yesterday - thursday - could clearly see the smog

 

They just can't bring themselves to publicly report that it's their own agricultural burning and other activities (industrial, vehicles, etc) that actually create the smog. The weather conditions (inversion) may make it worse by trapping the pollution closer to the ground, but we wouldn't have the problem if the pollution wasn't there in the first place.

 

[Don Chance]

Why no ebikes, visa?  Thailand has cheap enough electricity.

[mok199]

In my household in Pattaya we have all developed the chronic hehehehumm ..

[RotMahKid]

Now they feel what we have much more often in Northern Thailand from the fires and the lignite power plants in Phrae !

[Nyezhov]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I think the part about staying indoors is more oriented at having people avoid a lot of physical exertion (which means heavy / deeper breathing) during periods of heavy / dangerous air pollution.

 

If you're out exercising or jogging or whatever, you're sucking a lot more of the gunk into your lungs than if you're sitting quietly at home typing on a PC....   And of course here, you're also being exposed to the belching buses, trucks and others if you're anywhere near a heavy traffic area such as walking along a roadway.

 

FWIW, the PM2.5 sensor in my living room, which right now has unfiltered air because I'm not using that room yet today, is currently showing 52 micrograms, which translates into an AQI of 142. The closest public sensor to my home is at Chula Hospital, which was showing an AQI of 129 as of 11 am.

 

Yikes the closest sensor to me shows 152. Great excuse for a pajama day.

[jaiyen]

The World Health Organisations safe limit is 50.  Thailand decides it should be 100, but can never get close to it !

[connda]

Boy.  Wait for another month when the annual burning of Thai forests starts in earnest. 

[connda]

2 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

The World Health Organisations safe limit is 50.  Thailand decides it should be 100, but can never get close to it !

We saw that after the Fukushima meltdown.  If radiation levels went above published limits, simply revise the limits.  That's how it's done peoples!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Yikes the closest sensor to me shows 152. Great excuse for a pajama day.

 

My living room sensor with no purifiers running there has continued reading 52-54 micrograms pretty much all day thus far. Which means an indoor AQI of 142+ / unhealthy for sensitive groups.  But it probably would be worse if I was out somewhere close to major roads or a lot of traffic (which my home is not).

 

[kotsak]

Bangkok is covered alright.. ????

https://earth.nullschool.net/#2018/12/21/1000Z/particulates/surface/level/overlay=pm1/orthographic=-265.03,12.43,2704

 

 

[marcusarelus]

48 minutes ago, connda said:

Boy.  Wait for another month when the annual burning of Thai forests starts in earnest. 

Forests?  I thought it was rice fields?  Am I wrong?

[Cake Monster]

4 hours ago, JimShorts said:

Agree, however vehicles only make up 25% of the total pollution in Thailand. 50% comes from crop burning, 25% from Industry. 

And how many % do you think is atributed to the burning of all the waste that is illegally dumped in fields, canals, and down holes in the ground ?

[MaxYakov]

I don't go out without wearing a custom-made dust/fume N95 / PM2.5 filter mask which has a one-way exhale valve (not the loose, valveless, biological type most people use). I'm practicing how to eat while still wearing it, but it's difficult. My rooms' A/C and non-A/C fan both have particle filters that rapidly get dirty and need to be replaced often.

[Travel Dude]

As long as those in power do nothing about it... They will keep gazing themselves and the citizens. Criminals!!!

The buses (under license of BMA) in Bangkok emit the same black smoke despite this would be stopped, years ago. Same for trucks and lorries. Same for heavy diesel industrial waterheaters amd generators. In other world cities they can manage it. Why not in Thailand???

[spidermike007]

Most of the car and truck dealerships are actively promoting and selling diesel vehicles. There are many countries that are phasing out these vehicles. Perhaps the car and truck companies are pawning off unwanted vehicles on an unsuspecting Thailand? A friend of mine is looking for a new truck, and the salespeople keep promoting their "clean" diesel trucks. Well, scientifically speaking, there are no clean diesels. Grow up. Get your act together Thailand. Work on the environment, before everyone has lung disease. Get with the times. 

 

This is not "dust". These are fumes from the millions and millions of vehicles on the road, in the region. 

[JimmyJ]

14 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

My living room sensor with no purifiers running there has continued reading 52-54 micrograms pretty much all day thus far. Which means an indoor AQI of 142+ / unhealthy for sensitive groups.  But it probably would be worse if I was out somewhere close to major roads or a lot of traffic (which my home is not).

 

 

Where did you get the sensor and what was the cost?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, JimmyJ said:

 

Where did you get the sensor and what was the cost?

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Air-Quality-Monitor-Mini-Laser-PM2-5-Monitor-Wall-mounted-Inovafitness-PM2-5-Detector-Gas-monitor/32826759103.html

 

[Nyezhov]

My brat rolled in from Shanghai last night, she said "hey, this looks like China".

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Some respite today. AQI back to under 100, at least for the morning in the central city areas.

 

That change matches my own experience at home this morning, where I was able to turn my air purifier down to medium, and have very low PM2.5 levels indoors, after several days of having to run it on high/full speed continuously just to keep the bad air away.

 

This morning, my bedroom sensor is maintaining at 2 mcg PM2.5 with the purifier running on medium, which is kind of a normal everyday situation in my home area.

 

Edited December 22, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK