Pattaya air quality

[smedly]

Lots of people are complaining of breathing problems and a dry persistent cough

 

is it the air quality in Pattaya that could be causing this

 

Thoughts 

 

PS Not sure I would trust any official data either, it's hardly in their interests to tell people that low air quality is a severe risk to health right now 

[NanLaew]

Time of year as the seasons change which isn't helped by being on the fringes of the seasonal sugar cane burning. Here's a couple of websites to check. Maybe bookmark them and track/compare over a week to see if there's any matching trend?

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/chonburi/laem-chabang-municipal-stadium/

 

https://www.airvisual.com/thailand/chon-buri/pattaya

[smedly]

25 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Time of year as the seasons change which isn't helped by being on the fringes of the seasonal sugar cane burning. Here's a couple of websites to check. Maybe bookmark them and track/compare over a week to see if there's any matching trend?

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/chonburi/laem-chabang-municipal-stadium/

 

https://www.airvisual.com/thailand/chon-buri/pattaya

Like I said - not sure I believe any official data - in fact I don't

 

Air quality has to be measured by someone in Pattaya, it is in their interests to tell lies

 

thanks for the links anyway

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Smedly, if you click on the Airvisual link, it takes you to the Pattaya AQI reading. Just beneath the AQI number are two small icons for contributors. One is Sansiri and other a Patana school. I am assuming they are volunteer contributors with proper equipment because Airvisual says the "data were validated and calibrated" from three other sources. 

[NanLaew]

52 minutes ago, smedly said:

Like I said - not sure I believe any official data - in fact I don't

 

Air quality has to be measured by someone in Pattaya, it is in their interests to tell lies

 

thanks for the links anyway

 

Although some of the monitors on the first website are co-located at local government facilities, neither of those two websites are official government data sources. The GAIA air quality monitoring stations are using high-tech laser particle sensors to measure in real-time PM2.5 pollution, which is one of the most harmful air pollutants. For US$200, you can buy your own and help feed more data to make it more accurate.

 

The latter one is data contributed by subscribers who have purchased AirVisual Pro monitors that feeds their location data to the website. You can also buy one for US$295 and similarly contribute to the environmental monitoring.

 

Prior to this, I have been involved with a few projects in Thailand where the EIA required air quality monitoring. The government Ministry of Public Health provided the techs and the mobile monitoring equipment and the data was passed to our environmental consultants. I think that's all handled now by a specific Pollution Control Department of the MoPH?

 

If you want to know more about Pattaya air quality, visit Pattaya City Hall and maybe see what data they have that's NOT linked to private organizations?

 

 

[JayBird]

Yes it can get bad in Pattaya.
I have a monitor.
Over 50 lately, sometimes in the 80s.

And burning season hasn't even gotten into its full stride. Expect to see over 100 like last year.

WHO says over 10 is not good.

[shdmn]

Here are a couple things I have learned from years of having this problem every time I come to Pattaya.  The most effective is to reduce the amount of outdoor walking.  When you walk you breath at least 10x more air and therefore 10x more air pollution.  For me, not walking outdoors is not really an option because I like to walk everywhere instead of renting a bike.  So I try walk along the beach as much as possible.  The air tends to be cleaner there because of offshore breezes.

 

Most of the problem (at least for me) seems to come from walking along busy traffic roads near all the exhaust fumes and the PM2.5 particles they emit.  I have found that one of the worst areas for developing that dry hack is from walking along 3rd road. So I avoid walking along that road as much as possible.  I have also noticed I get that problem when walking along the busier areas on Soi Buakao.  So now I avoid walking on that road as much as possible and take a baht bus instead.

 

The other thing you can do is get one those N95 masks from a hardware store like the Home Pro in Big C Extra. They are not the same as surgical masks. They are more of a rigid shell that covers your face. You need the mask to fit tight for it to be effective.  Don't waste your time with the surgical masks all the Thais wear.  They are not designed for that and completely useless.

Edited October 27, 2019 by shdmn

[Beggar]

Especially now and the next months the air quality here can be extremely bad. On some days I just have to go in the morning on my balcony to smell it. Before there is not enough wind I never open a window in the morning. Also at rush hour times at around 5 all my windows are closed. My aircon units outside are always covered with a layer of black dust and this within one day. 

[soistalker]

I have red blood<deleted> eyes all the time when I am in Pattaya. I know you think this is a wind up for a joke about drinking, but it isnt. The air quality is poor and my eyes are always red and uncomfortable. 

[Beggar]

9 hours ago, JayBird said:

Yes it can get bad in Pattaya.
I have a monitor.

What device is this? 

[jimn]

11 hours ago, JayBird said:

WHO says over 10 is not good.

Please tell us WHO said that, the suspense is killing me lol

[jobsworth]

I believe that air quality in Pattaya depends on the wind direction.

To the north is the oil refinery at Lam Chabang.

To the south is the another industrial centre.

So wind from the west is from the sea and so good.

Likewise wind from the east is from inland and so good.

 

[Rimmer]

2 hours ago, jobsworth said:

I believe that air quality in Pattaya depends on the wind direction.

To the north is the oil refinery at Lam Chabang.

To the south is the another industrial centre.

So wind from the west is from the sea and so good.

Likewise wind from the east is from inland and so good.

 

Not quite correct:

Prevailing winds are NE and SW

SW is coming off the sea

NE and E is coming from Cambodia the country is already alight with fires:

 

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#z:7;c:104.7,13.4;t:adv-points;d:2019-01-13..2019-01-14;l:firms_viirs,firms_modis_a,firms_modis_t

[DrTuner]

Had 33 AQI inside this morning, when the Xiaomi Pro I ordered came. At 11 now. I can feel my throat stopped itching. There's something in the air, not sure what.

[shdmn]

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

Had 33 AQI inside this morning, when the Xiaomi Pro I ordered came. At 11 now. I can feel my throat stopped itching. There's something in the air, not sure what.

Consider getting a HEPA filter (air purifier) for your condo/apartment. 

https://phys.org/news/2018-09-indoor-hepa-filters-significantly-pollution.html

Edited October 28, 2019 by shdmn

[DrTuner]

45 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Consider getting a HEPA filter (air purifier) for your condo/apartment. 

https://phys.org/news/2018-09-indoor-hepa-filters-significantly-pollution.html

That's exactly what the Xiaomi is. 

 

https://www.mi.com/global/air2 (Couldn't find the pro model, it's bigger).

 

AQI at 8 now. It's working a treat. Cost about 6k in Lazada and good for 60sqm, I think I'll order a few more.

Edited October 28, 2019 by DrTuner

[trigpoint]

It's not bad at the moment if I can see koh Lan clearly from my condo balcony as of the last 3days, a week ago I couldn't which corresponds with the bad air in Bangkok. The worst time is yet to come January and February 

.

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, shdmn said:

Consider getting a HEPA filter (air purifier) for your condo/apartment. 

https://phys.org/news/2018-09-indoor-hepa-filters-significantly-pollution.html

Yes, I know of a few people who see marked improvement from sealing their rooms and using one of these. The 'I don't need aircon, but have to sleep with the windows wide open' types, well you will do yourself no favours. 

[wasabi]

On 10/27/2019 at 11:13 AM, shdmn said:

The other thing you can do is get one those N95 masks from a hardware store like the Home Pro in Big C Extra. They are not the same as surgical masks. They are more of a rigid shell that covers your face. You need the mask to fit tight for it to be effective.  Don't waste your time with the surgical masks all the Thais wear.  They are not designed for that and completely useless.

I know full well the official N95 masks are the only ones that offer full protection from small particles but I found if those aren't available the surgical masks offer some benefit. Probably 30% as effective as the rigid masks but better than nothing. If I at least wear one of those I don't wake up with a sore throat with one I am at least spared that.

[shdmn]

14 hours ago, wasabi said:

I know full well the official N95 masks are the only ones that offer full protection from small particles but I found if those aren't available the surgical masks offer some benefit. Probably 30% as effective as the rigid masks but better than nothing. If I at least wear one of those I don't wake up with a sore throat with one I am at least spared that.

From what I have read, surgical masks are designed for keeping your mouth-borne germs from getting onto other people, not the other way around.  They are not designed for filtering incoming air.  If not for any other reason than the fact they do not seal over your face.  So the air just comes in around the edges. At the very least, you need a hard shell mask that seals around your face, even if it is no N95 certified.

Edited October 29, 2019 by shdmn

[gamesgplayemail]

hello, sorry, can you tell me what is the worst pm2.5 result that you got in your condo / house ?

and then after starting the air purifier it went down ?

thanks.

[parafareno]

is it worse than bangkok?

[DrTuner]

Province gets locked down - first time in ages I can see clearly to the sea from the balcony. AQI 7 according to xiaomi purifier. Like it used to be before they started burning the whole SEA.

[DrTuner]

First proper rain and abracadabra (it's indoors, was around 10-20 before )

 

 

What we need now is sustained downpours all over SEA to put out the fires.

Edited April 13, 2020 by DrTuner

[johng]

And after today's 1 hour of rain