Smog in Bangkok serious threat to public health: experts

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, Chippy151 said:

At my school, we had extra long assemblies or line ups outsde last week. The kids had even more time to breathe in that dirt.

Even people who work all day at the office, just commuting there, have health issues because of the smog. I know, my girlfriend does. On the other hand, I, as an asthmatic, do not suffer in any way, perhaps because I'm used to worse pollution from back when I was a child.

[SoilSpoil]

10 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

What is the name of that app?

Firms Fire map

[Batboy]

My Wifes Family Company here in Bangkok has a solution that is a good start to cleaning up the engines of the buses and trucks as well as cars that continually belch diesel fumes into the air. It wont happen overnight but over time it can happen. The system is Engine Carbon Cleaning. Visit C&R Ventures Co Ltd Facebook web page to see how it works. In Counties like Europe vehicles have to under go vehicle inspection where exhaust gas emissions are checked. If they don't pass then its off the road till its fixed. A simple 30 minute engine clean for cars or 1 hour for trucks and buses is all it takes to clean the engines to reduce poison gases being pumped out the exhausts and the engines will run much smoother.   

[MehrK]

Hi all, I just moved to Bangkok a few months ago and this pollution the past month is nuts. It wasn't like this in Oct/Nov.

 

Is this a seasonal thing, or was it a seasonal thing in the past? I have an air filter in my condo and wear n95 masks everywhere now. If it's going to remain like this, I might need to choose another city in Thailand lmao.

 

Thanks in advance,

[Unify]

I'm curious why "staying indoors" is accepted advice. I've run an air filter, checked the air quality (AQI 4), then turned off the air filter. It only takes a few hours for the air quality in my well-sealed condo to match the outside air. I understand it might keep kids from running, and therefor breathing more deeply when outside, but being inside doesn't seem to provide any real protection to me, unless there are HEPA filters running 24/7.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

1 Update safe-air standards in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.

2 Set air pollution emission standard for power plant chimneys.

3 Promote the use of clean, renewable fuels in the transportation sector.

4 Improve public transit with broader access and more extensive coverage.

5 Encourage energy efficiency. 

6 Give people incentives to walk, ride bicycles and switch to electric vehicles.

7 Provide easy public access to the pollution monitoring system.

8 Add more urban green space as much as possible.

Source: Greenpeace

8 things that will definitely not happen anytime soon!!!

All of the above costs money.... but salvation may be at hand... at an affordable price.

Ask Prayut to pray to the gods again to take the nasty pollution away & stop harming his people!

Edited January 14, 2019 by hotchilli

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

23 minutes ago, Unify said:

I'm curious why "staying indoors" is accepted advice. I've run an air filter, checked the air quality (AQI 4), then turned off the air filter. It only takes a few hours for the air quality in my well-sealed condo to match the outside air. I understand it might keep kids from running, and therefor breathing more deeply when outside, but being inside doesn't seem to provide any real protection to me, unless there are HEPA filters running 24/7.

 

It's in part about keeping people's physical exertion down, and thus limiting deep breathing... of crap....

 

At my home, with everything closed, the indoor air may be a bit better than outside if I dont run my purifiers... But yr right, not much...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Maybe the Thai govt should start calling this "the 90 dangerous days" for smog -- Dec to March or so....

 

Because, it,'s the same like this pretty much every year Dec to March. Anyone who doesnt realize that...hasn't been paying attention.

[hobz]

"Air pollution is really a silent killer and many Thais underestimate the danger to their health, so not many people protect themselves by wearing a facemask or installing air purifiers at home,"

 

I can't even convince my girlfriends family to wear seatbelts in the car...

[LALes]

While crop burning is a contributor to the pollution problem, there is also the invasion of the 

crap Chinese air every winter, brought down by Arctic winds originating in Siberia.

It used to take until late January for the Chinese crap to get down here.  Now, it seems

smog season is starting in December and lasting into March.  So, every year it gets worse.

As little as 3 years ago, a day with a 170 number was off the charts.  Now, it happens on a

regular basis.

And, speaking of China, the world has known about their problem for years.  What have they done

to tackle the problem???  And you expect any different plan of action here??

[VocalNeal]

How did we know air quality was bad before we could measure or even knew about PM2.5?

[jmccarty]

I wonder what the power plants are burning?

[metisdead]

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[Henrik Andersen]

You want Chinese to come and you will get their air pollution too 

it will probably just get worse and worse and it is not only Bkk but Chonburi yajong etc 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

How did we know air quality was bad before we could measure or even knew about PM2.5?

 

It's been known for years. And HEPA air filters and N95 masks have been available for years....

 

But public awareness in Thailand -- the hub of people sticking their head in the ground and the government typically doing nothing -- has been and is lacking.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

23 minutes ago, LALes said:

While crop burning is a contributor to the pollution problem, there is also the invasion of the 

crap Chinese air every winter, brought down by Arctic winds originating in Siberia.

It used to take until late January for the Chinese crap to get down here.  Now, it seems

smog season is starting in December and lasting into March.  So, every year it gets worse.

 

 

Crop and other open burning IS the major cause of PM2.5 air pollution for Thailand....  Everything else is small by comparison.  (Doesn't mean the other sources don't contribute, they do, but focus on the BIGGEST issue first!)

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[brewsterbudgen]

22 minutes ago, hobz said:

"Air pollution is really a silent killer and many Thais underestimate the danger to their health, so not many people protect themselves by wearing a facemask or installing air purifiers at home,"

 

I can't even convince my girlfriends family to wear seatbelts in the car...

Exactly.  And some people still smoke cigarettes! 

 

There are so many risks you take bringing up children in Bangkok - I guess the pollution is just one of them, and, hopefully, unlike the car accidents and other potential horrors, it may improve soon.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Here's a graphic from The Nation in Feb. of 2018....  Ask yourself, what exactly has the government, BMA, PCD, etc. done to reduce air pollution since then???

 

They've had a full year since then, and... and... and???

 

[Micbozy]

No wonder medical insurance is required with expats.

[Petrus]

2 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

What is the name of that app?

This is a graphic from the same site which shows geographic location of fires recorded by 3 satellites over the past 7 days

 

Its pretty obvious that if the wind is from the east, one of Thailand nearest neighbour's is likely to be a big source of smog in Bangkok

 

Here is the weblink

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#z:6;c:103.5,13.2;d:2019-01-07..2019-01-14;l:topo,countries,firms_viirs,firms_modis_a,firms_modis_t

 

[Nanaplaza666]

5 hours ago, Prairieboy said:

Perhaps educating the farmers to stop burning crop residue would be one step in the right direction.

This has little to do with the burnings it starts with the chinese factory's and the traffic those are the two biggest problems but how can they change anything about the dirty broken down trucks busses and cars driving around the people driving them have no money to buy new and when they take all those cars of the road the whole country will be on it's ass because of all the hard working people keeping the country alive will not be able to get to work 

[mommysboy]

1 hour ago, MehrK said:

Hi all, I just moved to Bangkok a few months ago and this pollution the past month is nuts. It wasn't like this in Oct/Nov.

 

Is this a seasonal thing, or was it a seasonal thing in the past? I have an air filter in my condo and wear n95 masks everywhere now. If it's going to remain like this, I might need to choose another city in Thailand lmao.

 

Thanks in advance,

In my opinion it's much worse than ever before, and high readings last for longer. 

[atyclb]

6 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

Monday morning, Bangkok is at 117 ug/m3, almost 5 times the international safety limit. Keep your kids indoors today! 

 

 

asthmatics are especially hurting i might add

[NightSky]

1 hour ago, hobz said:

I can't even convince my girlfriends family to wear seatbelts in the car...

That's because this is Thailand and anything you say here doesn't count and you don't know about the 'spirit voodoo magic' or the Thai way. 

 

This is the 'Thai way' and you're just another farang here so button up mister..

 

..until the ***t hits the fan of course and you're proven correct yet again and for the umpteen time,  but you're now expected to pay to clean up the mess yet again with no thanks..

 

...repeat this process until you're skint and

 

..Welcome to Amazing Thailand ???? ???? 

 

(before anyone quotes my post, YES can you smell the sarcasm in the air)

 

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by NightSky
correct spelling of farang :-/

[Days Off]

Easy fix.  They just need a bunch of fans to "bubble" the air thru khlong water and the Chao Pharaya...a giant bong to clean the air.  All the other shit goes into the water...why not the shit in the air as well???

[losworld]

pattaya is no better and often exceeds even bangkok... gee I wonder if this is why the monitoring station has been out of commission the last few years???

[losworld]

3 hours ago, Batboy said:

My Wifes Family Company here in Bangkok has a solution that is a good start to cleaning up the engines of the buses and trucks as well as cars that continually belch diesel fumes into the air. It wont happen overnight but over time it can happen. The system is Engine Carbon Cleaning. Visit C&R Ventures Co Ltd Facebook web page to see how it works. In Counties like Europe vehicles have to under go vehicle inspection where exhaust gas emissions are checked. If they don't pass then its off the road till its fixed. A simple 30 minute engine clean for cars or 1 hour for trucks and buses is all it takes to clean the engines to reduce poison gases being pumped out the exhausts and the engines will run much smoother.   

I am not sure it is that simple what is required is factory installed emissions equipment on all diesel vehicles...

[wvavin]

This is just another news. Nothing would be resolved. Next....

[losworld]

The tourists TAT so desires from China and India may very well tolerate this air as they have similar or worse at home.  And China is already cleaning up its air by setting up more and more unregulated factories in Thailand Cambodia,etc.  The only safe zone I see is south around Phuket. Otherwise it would be the coast of Vietnam, remote PH and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.  In short SE Asia is screwed and the levels will hit 300-500 in Bkok before they may actually do anything.

[Barefootknobby]

Nothing to do with all that black sh*t coming out of all those trucks I suppose:-)