Smog in Bangkok 'no cause for panic'

[webfact]

Smog 'no cause for panic'

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

 

Authorities say situation not bad enough to warrant emergency measures.

 

BANGKOK’S AIR quality has not reached a critical level yet, authorities said, though the daily average of PM2.5 levels in the city has remained above 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air during the last seven days.

 

 

Health Department director-general Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn told a press conference yesterday that the smog situation in Bangkok was still not serious enough to be treated as an emergency and intense measures were not needed to mitigate the problem.

 

Panpimol said that as of now, Bangkok’s air quality was overall at orange level, or having a daily mean PM2.5 level of 51 to 90 micrograms, which are above Thailand’s safe limit for PM2.5.

 

However, she said the PM2.5 level in the capital had not yet reached 200 micrograms, or stayed above 90 micrograms for several consecutive days, so the situation was not considered serious enough for the authorities to come up with stringent emergency measures. Urgent measures to tackle air pollution and protect the people’s health such as the closure of schools or a restriction on outdoor activities could cause disruptions and inconvenience to people’s daily lives, she said.

 

“The smog situation is not that serious, as only some areas of Bangkok, some times, have seen the PM2.5 level rise to above 90 micrograms per cubic metre. So, the proper advice for residents of Bangkok is to avoid going to the PM2.5 red zones, while people in the orange zone should refrain from outdoor activities,” Panpimol said.

 

“Patients with respiratory diseases should always remain indoors and go to the doctor right away if their sickness worsens.”

Leading environmental health expert Sonthi Kotchawat, however, hit out at the authorities, saying their criteria for severity of air pollution was unacceptable and incapable of protecting people’s health and well-being.

 

“We cannot wait until people get sick from air pollution,” Sonthi said.

 

“In China and Hong Kong, the authorities will start enforcing legal measures to mitigate air pollution once the PM2.5 daily average level rises over 50 micrograms per cubic metre for more than seven days.”

 

 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the recommended safe limit daily average for PM2.5 is 25 micrograms, which is half of Thailand’s PM2.5 safety standard of 50 micrograms.

 

The WHO warned that with the PM2.5 daily average at 50 micrograms, the short-term mortality rate would increase by 2.5 per cent, and if the level increases to 75 micrograms, the short-term mortality rate will be 5 per cent higher.

 

Meanwhile, the country director for Greenpeace Thailand, Tara Buakamsri, said the time had come for Thailand to raise its PM2.5 safety standard so as to properly cope with the public health emergency caused by air pollution.

 

A Thai wears a protective mask as smog pollution obscures buildings in the background at Lumpini park in Bangkok. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

 

Tara said Thailand has never upgraded the country’s safety standard for PM2.5 since it started the official monitoring of PM2.5 in 2010.

 

“Despite a lot of scientific evidence confirming the serious health threats of PM2.5 and that the smog situation in Bangkok and many other cities in Thailand could be regarded as a public-health crisis, the authorities are still using an outdated PM2.5 standard from nine years ago,” he said.

 

He called on the Pollution Control Department to raise the country’s PM2.5 safety standard relative to the Sustainable Development Goals and with a clear time frame. He suggested upgrading the safety standard for PM2.5 to 35 micrograms within this year and to 25 micrograms by 2030.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362394

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-17

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“We cannot wait until people get sick from air pollution,” Sonthi said.

he should have her job, far too easy to do nothing which seems the 'authorities' stance

[PatOngo]

 

[marc651]

The article is clear.  The Thai authorities use the wrong scale, calling 50 micrograms/ cubic meter safe while the WHO clearly states the safe limit is only half of that!

 

Furthermore, they propose not to take action until it reaches catastrophic levels.

 

The government's reaction to this health crisis summarized: 

1) deny 

2) ignore 

Edited January 17, 2019 by marc651

[realenglish1]

Not an emergency Really?  You mean not an emergency for the government, only for  the people The world health organization says it is and so do a number of Professors at some Thai Universities

I guess we half to start dropping like flies before then do something

First then claimed the pollution was from construction sites. They are blaming the roads for being dirty and need to hose them down, not to mention useless water cannons. Even if true which they are not these are remedial, little effective efforts. 

You need to start to clean up the factories and motorcycles

 

One could argue that "gee a motorcycle is so small. Well multiply that by a few million and you have a pollution problem

Regulate motorcycle emissions Its time

 

 

.

Edited January 17, 2019 by realenglish1

[dcsw53]

Change of government policy. Stop drowning Chinese tourists, just gas them instead.
Never mind arrival numbers to LOS up, up, up. Doubles all round !!

[Bartman1369]

LOS does mean Land of Smog??

[IAMHERE]

Negotiating red tape and jumping thru immigration hoops is more difficult in this smog. ????

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, marc651 said:

Furthermore, they propose not to take action until it reaches catastrophic levels.

Do you have an instant solution for a problem that has no instant solution? Twit?

 

 

1 hour ago, realenglish1 said:

You need to start to clean up the factories and motorcycles

 

One could argue that "gee a motorcycle is so small. Well multiply that by a few million and you have a pollution problem

Regulate motorcycle emissions Its time 

 

Obviously have a thing for motorcycles and factories. Motorcycle emissions are regulated. New bikes have higher standards than old one just like cars.

 

You do know that if the internet were a country it would be the sixth largest consumer of electric power. Power which has to be generated by factories mostly burning fossil fuels.

 

I don't see the smog problem as locally grown. It is a regional problem.

 

Shock horror I am going to live a year less.

Edited January 17, 2019 by VocalNeal

[puukao]

6 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Shock horror I am going to live a year less.

You will live 20-years under less-than-ideal conditions, maybe longer.  Get sick a lot, lungs turn black, allergy issues, skin issues, brain issues, life issues.....

 

then, yes, die a year less.

 

it's like being 100 kg overweight and die one year early.  you have problems until you die....

[Zack61]

Will we be having this exact same conversation year after year? Quite likely unless there is an admission of a problem and a plan of action is taken now.

Spraying water around is not the solution. This is an activity best left for Songkran celebrations. The ostrich approach will not fix the problem but it does make for an easy way to earn one’s salary. 

 

[Katipo]

So they are averaging all of Bangkok over 24 hour periods. Well of course this is going to bring the average down, as some areas are much worse than others. Certain areas have been averaging well over 120mc nearly every day for the last week or more. People in these areas will be suffering greatly. I am disgusted that the Director General of Health would make excuses about such a serious issue as opposed to put forward strategies to combat it. Not to mention that Thailand's 'acceptable' levels are higher than even China's, and bare no relation at all to what the WHO recommends.

[miamiman123]

How about all those bbq fires set at 6am to start selling chicken for the day? Hahaha 

[NCC1701A]

i can remember when smog was a problem in Los Angeles in the 1960's. The California government started draconian emission rules for everything, even BBQ restaurants, not just cars.

 

It took about 15 years and the air really turned around. It is not perfect. But just like everything else, until you have real enforcement of laws, nothing will change. 

 

It was really shocking coming to Thailand and seeing all the black smoke poring out of cars and trucks, and everyone riding behind to get a face full.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2019 by NCC1701A

[hotchilli]

Ok so we have to put up with it until it reaches "critical" levels, then wait for something to happen !!!

I wonder who will say when it's critical and how long it has to stay at that level?

[SoilSpoil]

Good to see that the authorities take smog problem serious with more and more fires popping up in western Thailand. What do they grow in Tak since a couple of years?  Sugarecane? 

[jojothai]

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

I don't see the smog problem as locally grown. It is a regional problem.

 

The recent attention appears to be focused on Bangkok.

I drove down to Pattaya and Jomtien last weekend and was appalled 

how bad the air pollution was there, and all the way down through Chonburi.

In Jomtien looking out to sea the air pollution was particularly bad.

On the motorway you could only just make out the hills near Chonburi.

I cannot recall seeing it so bad in the last 15 years or so.

That indicates to me there is more to this than just Bangkok. 

[jojothai]

21 minutes ago, jojothai said:

 

I drove down to Pattaya and Jomtien last weekend and was appalled 

how bad the air pollution was there, and all the way down through Chonburi.

I note that somebody else commented on this issue from last friday in the thread below.

There have also been comments in the Pattaya Forum about the pollution since late december.

There may be something more specific in the region causing the issue, not just Bangkok.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2019 by jojothai
added more comment on pattaya

[Naamblar2014]

Forget the dust mask.  You need one of these...

 

 

[Tidybeard]

Don't know what the fuss is about ... I lived in Tianjin North China for 15 years and in the winter we regularly saw PM 2.5 at 400 + and some days were 600+ ... when you cannot see the next block you know it is bad ????

[johng]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

It was really shocking coming to Thailand and seeing all the black smoke poring out of cars and trucks,

Yes hardly any motorcycles with black/much smoke pouring out nowadays..I remember when I first arrived in Bangkok  the 2 stroke (smoke) bikes where still very popular the noise and smoke from them all racing away at a green light was quite something...now its mostly the "souped" up  pickup truck  spewing out the black smoke and noise.

[KnowItAllSMD]

If anyone wants to buy 2 BlueAir purifiers, the best air purifiers money can buy, message me at [email protected]. I bought them when I was living in Bangkok for 20,000 baht each. Why do they cost that much? Because they’re imports that actually work. BlueAir is the king of air purifiers. I no longer need them living in Phuket and will sell them for 10,000 baht each. They’re basically new, only used for about 3 months. They come with a slick mobile app too.

[Torrens54]

BREATH EASY FOLKS, “SHE WHO KNOWS BEST” HAS SPOKEN!

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The health director here is a shame to her profession, and doesnt deserve the job.

 

But, in truth, she's just spouting the do nothing government's line.

 

[Cake Monster]

I guess that its not an Emergency if you dont care about your Health and that of your Loved ones.

[ToddinChonburi]

Oh yes let's follow China's example.   Lol.   amazing Thailand.

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, Tidybeard said:

Don't know what the fuss is about ... I lived in Tianjin North China for 15 years and in the winter we regularly saw PM 2.5 at 400 + and some days were 600+ ... when you cannot see the next block you know it is bad ????

I understand what you're saying, but you must understand that this is about BKK, where all the hi-so's stay. Very important to get this fixed as soon as possible.

 

[CGW]

3 hours ago, Tidybeard said:

Don't know what the fuss is about ... I lived in Tianjin North China for 15 years and in the winter we regularly saw PM 2.5 at 400 + and some days were 600+ ... when you cannot see the next block you know it is bad ????

I worked there for a couple of years also, worse place I have been for pollution 

[ukrules]

I'm not panicking, seems ok here in Hua Hin.

[lvr181]

11 hours ago, marc651 said:

The government's reaction to this health crisis summarized: 

1) deny 

2) ignore 

Edited 11 hours ago by marc651

Because Government could not deal with a 'crisis' (let alone what leads up to it)! 

 

Edited January 17, 2019 by lvr181
Correction