Worse air pollution reported in and around Bangkok today

[webfact]

Worse air pollution reported in and around Bangkok today

 

 

Air quality in and around Bangkok has become worse today with higher amount of PM2.5 dust particles in the air as a result of close weather, stale air with wind velocity of less than 2 kph and absence of rain, the Pollution Control Department reported this morning.

 

However, the department predicted that the situation will slightly improve tomorrow thanks to the arrival of stronger wind which should help disperse dust particles hovering over Bangkok and its peripherals.

 

According to the department, the worst-affected areas today are in Tambon Om-noi, Prathum Ban district of Samut Sakhon and the Rama II parallel roads in Muang district of Samut Sakhon, where PM2.5 dust particles were measured at over 90 microns which are regarded as health-threatening.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/worse-air-pollution-reported-in-and-around-bangkok-today/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-01-22

 

[NCC1701A]

breath it in and die.

 

and don't forget to eat your toxic food.

 

 

[keith101]

here is a thought put really big fans on top of the tallest buildings , turn them on to disperse all the bad air job done or is this just to simple of an idea .

[SkyNets]

Its funny how the Gov/experts are not sure whats causing the spike in pollution, but reassure everybody that it will be over by March lol 

[metisdead]

A troll post trolling about having sex has been removed. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This article is wrong, or perhaps was actually written yesterday even though it is dated today.... The actual smog levels out in BKK today (Tues) are not so bad, and much better than Monday....  But it's probably a brief respite before getting bad again.

 

This is today:

 

 

This was yesterday:

 

 

[RickBradford]

I was working in Singapore during the 1997 haze when the PM2.5 reading hit 442. Those were really miserable conditions.

[SheungWan]

....and stop sending it to Pattaya.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Part of the problem with the Thai PCD's official data reporting, and maybe the problem with the OP article here as a result, is PCD officially reports 24 hour averages vs real time or hourly levels...

 

So, even though pollution levels now (Tues midday) are much better, the 24 hour average readings reported by PCD right now are still high, because they're including the 24 hour period back to yesterday and last night when levels WERE still high..

 

 

The figures are updated as of midday today/Tuesday, but they're still reflecting a 24 hour average going back to yesterday.

 

http://air4thai.pcd.go.th/webV2/region.php?region=1

 

That's why sites like AQICN,org that show hourly readings, usually only an hour or two behind real time, are a better source for CURRENT levels and information.

 

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

 

 

Edited January 22, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

47 minutes ago, sgoodes said:

 

I'd like to know what the long term effects of this stuff will be.

 

 

The World Health Organization did a study several years ago on the world health impacts of air pollution, and included country specific breakdowns in that report. The Thailand data was as follows:

 

 

 

With a population of about 69 million, that 33 deaths per year per 100,000 population related to air pollution in Thailand works out to be almost 23,000 deaths per year.

 

And then of course, there were larger numbers related to shorter life spans, chronic illness, days of lost work, etc etc.

 

Edited January 22, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[webfact]

Bangkok air hits ‘code red’ while authorities resist strong measures

By The Nation

 

Photo Courtesy of Jor Sor 100 traffic radio: The air pollution condition on Rama II road in Bangkok's Bang Khun Thien district on Tuesday morning.

 

The capital’s air pollution situation became more severe on Tuesday, as the quantity of the dangerous PM2.5 particles for the first time rose to code-red status of above 90 micrograms per cubic metre of air at many locations. If the level remains that high for three consecutive days, drastic measures may be implemented, perhaps including a ban on car use by two million civil servants.
 

Nearly 10 Bangkok areas were at 7.15am on Tuesday flagged “code red”, which is triggered when inhalable particles with diameters generally sized at or below 2.5 micrometres reach 90 micrograms per cubic metre of air. Another more than 30 areas were designated with the “code-orange” status, which notes that negative health affects are beginning, said a report by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s Environment Office's Air Quality Division. 

 

The safe limit of PM2.5 in Thailand is considered under 50 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air, whereas the World Health Organisation pegs it at 25 micrograms.

 

The red-coded areas included the Thanon Tok Intersection in Bang Kho Laem district with the city’s highest level at 101 micrograms; the roadside area in front of Siam University in Phasi Charoen district with 100 micrograms; the Mahaisawan Intersection in Thon Buri district with 95 micograms; the roadside area in Bang Khun Thien district with 95 micrograms; the roadside area near Bang Phlat District Office with 94 micrograms; and Sanam Luang in Phra Nakhon district with 96 micrograms. 

 

The BMA report, available on bangkokairquality.com, provides the capital city’s readings for PM10 and PM2.5 levels over the previous 24 hours.

 

Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Department (PCD) said in its daily update on the PM2.5 situation that 40 areas of Greater Bangkok had on Tuesday morning reported levels of PM2.5 above what is considered safe. Seven roadside locales (each equipped with an air quality-measuring station) were flagged with the code-red status, the PCD said, while attributing it to the lack of rain and absence of strong winds (with winds being under 2 kilometres per hour). The PCD predicted that Wednesday would have better weather with stronger winds, thus possibly lessening the level of PM2.5, although it would remain at “starting to affect health” levels.

 

The related state agencies are so far standing firm following their conclusion at a Monday meeting that, as PCD director-general Pralong Damrongthai later told reporters, “the smog is still not critical enough to declare the capital a pollution-control area, which might affect tourism and the business sector.”

 

The agencies were instead recommending other pollution-tackling measures to the Prime Minister including an increase in mobile units to detect vehicles with black exhaust smoke in the inner city; checking the condition of city buses; and intensifying rain-making operations later this week, Pralong told reporters. 

 

If the level of PM2.5 rose beyond 90 micrograms per cubic metre of air for three consecutive days, more intense controls on road traffic and construction sites would be imposed, Pralong said.

 

Those controls could include a measure to reduce a number of cars on road, beginning with a request to civil servants and state personnel to avoid using their personal cars.

 

If more intensive measures failed to curb pollution, a controlled area announcement under the Public Health Act may be issued by the Bangkok governor, Pralong said on Monday.

 

More drastic measures are available and could be triggered, such as declaring the capital a “pollution control area” under Article 9 of the Promotion and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act. But Pralong said that would be a last resort, as it would yield negative impacts.

 

Despite the gradualist approach being taken, Pralong insisted that the highest priority of state agencies continued to be the people’s health.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362710

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-22

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 minutes ago, webfact said:

The BMA report, available on bangkokairquality.com, provides the capital city’s readings for PM10 and PM2.5 levels over the previous 24 hours.

 

Again, this is misleading news...because the PCD are using 24 average data that reflects that very bad air yesterday and last night.  Today for whatever reason is much better and not what the 24 average was showing....

 

Here is the closer to real time data for today -- not the 24 hour average back to yesterday.

 

Yesterday, last night and into early this morning was BAD. Thus far into midday, Tuesday is NOT!

 

 

Edited January 22, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

The BMA report, available on bangkokairquality.com, provides the capital city’s readings for PM10 and PM2.5 levels over the previous 24 hours.

 "Nice" site from the BMA... It has a supposed EN language version that changes just the headline titles to English, but all the actual data / results / locations etc remain listed in TH only.

 

It looks like they're re-purposing similar data to the 24 hour average data that's reported on the PCD website, which at least has a full EN version of its data available, by clicking the EN tab in the upper right corner of the webpage.

 

http://air4thai.pcd.go.th/webV2/region.php?region=1

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[fruitman]

26 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Today for whatever reason is much better

Today we have wind...

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, keith101 said:

here is a thought put really big fans on top of the tallest buildings , turn them on to disperse all the bad air job done or is this just to simple of an idea .

P*ss off, I don't live in Bangkok & don't want their pollution being shunted to the next province where I live
Keep it where it's made & when they've all choked to death it'll clear itself up.
How's that for an idea?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, fruitman said:

Today we have wind...

 

Definitely a bit of a breeze when I went out this afternoon, and not nearly the same dank, dirty smell as in the air yesterday.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

P*ss off, I don't live in Bangkok & don't want their pollution being shunted to the next province where I live
Keep it where it's made & when they've all choked to death it'll clear itself up.
How's that for an idea?

 

There's an interesting debate to be had as to whether outlying areas blow more pollution into BKK than BKK blows into surrounding areas (depending on the wind, of course).

 

The main source of PM2.5 pollution during this time of the year is agricultural/field and probably garbage burning, and there are lots of areas outside BKK where more of that's occurring than in the urban areas of BKK.

 

I honestly don't know which areas are sending more of the pollution where.  But at least it's a topic up for reasonable debate...

 

[willi2006]

There are a few privately owned stations in Thailand showing real time and 24 hour floating average
http://deutschland.maps.luftdaten.info/#7/16.197/102.356

Many more in Europe.

Edited January 22, 2019 by willi2006
Improved link

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, willi2006 said:

There are a few privately owned stations in Thailand showing real time and 24 hour floating average
http://deutschland.maps.luftdaten.info/#7/16.197/102.356

Many more in Europe.

 

All the readings from this website also show hourly data -- not past 24 hour averages.

 

http://aqicn.org/city/bangkok/

 

[Redline]

How about swarms of AI drones-blowing the smoke to Lao, or blow it to the ocean, or make a vortex, and send it to the upper atmosphere ???????? at least one step up from spraying water ????

[rickudon]

Unfortunately if you do not live in Bangkok, other areas are poorly represented on the websites mentioned. Here is one with many more locations - 

 

https://www.airvisual.com/thailand

 

It is the only one i know of with readings for Udon Thani. No idea how accurate the data is, but it's Bangkok data seems pretty standard. You get 2 different readings, one hourly? reading if you go to the city directly, and a real time reading on the Thailand map (check time stamp).