What’s with the lousy air quality in Pattaya?

[Ireland32]

Surprising not bad in CM

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

Perhaps u need to find a place to live with clean air?.........

but that would make too much sence.

Personally I live out of town, not sure it is much better.

[Guderian]

Worse than Bangkok again this afternoon...

 

[Krataiboy]

Gudarian:  Which air monitoring service are you using, please? Yours has more Thailand sites on it than most. It looks like Air Insights, but I couldn't find it with an internet search. Got an url?

[Unify]

Here's what I've learned from looking at this issue over the past 3 years, and taking a meter to various places around the country.

 

The health risks of air pollution are not limited to lung cancer and emphysema. Air pollution also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. While there's an argument for just living life and not worrying too much, stroke and dementia would put a damper on that happy life. It makes sense to take reasonable precautions to prevent them.

You wouldn't notice some of these medical problems until it was too late. So, people saying "I don't have any problems, but it bothers some people", are clueless.

I lived in Chiang Mai for a year, and traveled extensively into the mountains up north. There is no area anywhere near CM with decent air during burning season.

In Chiang Mai, the air is not that good when it's not burning season. It's only decent immediately after a hard rain.

 

Don't trust anyone who says the air is good where they live, if they don't have a meter. And the meters in most of the air filters are not accurate.

 

In my condo in CM (modern construction, reasonably well sealed), I would run an air filter, turn it off and see how long it took the air quality to degrade. Within a couple of hours, the air quality would approach the level of pollution of the outside.

 

In other words, staying indoors offers limited protection.

 

Being on the coast or near the ocean is no guarantee of clean air. I was in Hua Hin in December of 2018 for a few days, and the aqi ranged between 100-160.

 

You have to be well south of Bangkok to have decent air most of the time. Krabi, Phuket, etc., suffer from occasional bouts of bad air (burning from nearby counties, I suspect), but in general the air quality is good to moderate.

 

A company called Woody Knows makes a 2.5 filter that goes in your nose and is much more comfortable than a face mask.

 

Riding on a motorcycle, in traffic is the worst, air wise. Protect yourself!

 

I am currently in Phuket, and don't worry about it much. If it starts to look hazy out, I check the readings from the nearby station. Today, it's about 80, so I run my air filter. Most days I don't think about it.

 

[Guderian]

2 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Gudarian:  Which air monitoring service are you using, please? Yours has more Thailand sites on it than most. It looks like Air Insights, but I couldn't find it with an internet search. Got an url?

It's just the AirVisual site accessed via a PC rather than the app on a phone.

The URL is:

https://www.airvisual.com/air-quality-map?lat=12.93333&lng=100.88333&zoomLevel=10

 

[Guderian]

5 minutes ago, Unify said:

Riding on a motorcycle, in traffic is the worst, air wise. Protect yourself!

 

 

I'd certainly agree with that, I've given up on mine altogether until the air quality improves and I'll stick to using the car, though I don't suppose the car's air con filter is much use at removing the PM2.5 particles, is it?

[meand]

I have been in Hua Hin and it has been bad. 

[Unify]

42 minutes ago, Guderian said:

I'd certainly agree with that, I've given up on mine altogether until the air quality improves and I'll stick to using the car, though I don't suppose the car's air con filter is much use at removing the PM2.5 particles, is it

I think there's probably some benefit from being surrounded by a car. It might take a while for the exhaust to work it's way in at a stop light.

 

You might be able to add some of the 3m filtrete sheets to the vents in your car, if it worries you. I added them to my AC until in Chiang Mai, and it brought down the AQI measurably, but not nearly as much as a dedicated air filter.

[Guderian]

6 minutes ago, Unify said:

I think there's probably some benefit from being surrounded by a car. It might take a while for the exhaust to work it's way in at a stop light.

 

You might be able to add some of the 3m filtrete sheets to the vents in your car, if it worries you. I added them to my AC until in Chiang Mai, and it brought down the AQI measurably, but not nearly as much as a dedicated air filter.

I'd go to the Ford garage and ask them if they have A/C filters that take out the very small particles, but they have enough difficulty understanding me when I ask them to service my car, never mind anything more complicated.

Anyway, I'm sure they will think the air quality's just fine, lol.

[Destiny1990]

Seems they are literally smoking out the foreigners in Pats. 

[Leaver]

Spoke to an Australian friend recently and the subject of the fires came up.  He mentioned the air quality there.  I then found this article. 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-smoke-haze-equivalent-to-smoking-34-cigarettes-a-day/ar-BBXIqQM

 

Makes you wonder the equivalent of how many cigarettes we are breathing in here.  

[NormanW]

On 1/6/2020 at 4:29 PM, Golden Triangle said:

I just checked the app on my phone, the nearest monitoring station to me is Tara Pattana School, reading now - 105 US AQI

 

I gave up smoking nearly 3 years ago but sometimes my chest wheezes as though I'm still on 40 a day ???? 

 

Getting my own PMI meter soon, see what's happening real time very soon.

keep us informed as i was interested in buying a monitor from airvisual. im on pratumnak hill

[flexomike]

On 1/6/2020 at 4:12 PM, bkk6060 said:

Depends on why one is here.

The list just gets better.

This morning spent a great hour with a very cute 22 year old in my nice air conditioned condo.

I certainly am going no where been smiling all day.

 

Was she smoking hot

[Golden Triangle]

58 minutes ago, NormanW said:

keep us informed as i was interested in buying a monitor from airvisual. im on pratumnak hill

I will do, I don't think Airvisual allows other monitors to connect to their network which is a bit short sighted as more monitors mean more accurate info, I think that they are being greedy. Perhaps someone can tell us differently.

[FruitPudding]

On 1/6/2020 at 3:32 PM, seasia said:

The very poor air quality here is another reason added to my list of Thailand negatives.

 

That list is growing.

 

Seriously considering calling it a day to living here.

 

Yes I know I will not let the door hit me on the way out.

I will close it and walk away with a smile.

 

 

To where?

[URMySunshine]

Just got back from a day out in the smog and a ride back to Jomtien on the spluttering Songthaew - my eyes are red and irritated and I have a sore throat. Tomorrow we go to buy the air purifier not a moment too soon. Am thinking of a Sharp/Hitachi for around 4 4.5k at Num Chai. The studio room not including the balcony and bathroom will be about 30 sqm. Will the small model be enough? Both of us are not yet decrepit , in good health and are only here for 3 months a year. 

 

 

[Ron jeremy]

6 pages and no reply from Danny Carlton????????

he has assured us the air is great in pattaya, telling people from Chang Mai to move there.

certainly he can't be wrong.

Danny BOY, where art thou?...

perhaps locked in the house with the air purifiers on , enjoying his retirements?????????????????????????????????????

[Sydebolle]

Stop moaning; you cannot have your cake and eat it. The trillions of tourists invading Thailand's family and nature resort Pattaya need to be moved around in thousands of buses - there you go! 

[gk10002000]

On 1/6/2020 at 4:19 AM, RichardColeman said:

Could be the 5 yearly burning of the tm30's

that and all the 90 day reporting documents, visa extension paperwork, etc. that the officials collect.  Just where do you imagine they dispose of those mountains of paper they collect in duplicate each week?

[Rimmer]

Air Visual screen shot 0920 today 8 Jan

 

[Guderian]

17 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

Air Visual screen shot 0920 today 8 Jan

 

 

It started off looking like that yesterday, with Bangkok being the hot-spot and worse than Pattaya et al. During the day, for some unknown reason, the AQI improved quite a lot in much of Bangkok, while on the Eastern Seaboard it stayed lousy.

 

Can anyone explain to us why that happens?

[seasia]

On 1/7/2020 at 12:06 PM, FruitPudding said:

To where?

Probably north Italy.

 

Far better air quality as well  as better more reliable electric supply, better internet, better water supply.

Better customer service.

Better roads, better drivers better pavements.

 

I could go on with about 20 + advantages.

Alternative  suggestions do not go down well here though.

[daveAustin]

On 1/6/2020 at 9:12 AM, bkk6060 said:

Depends on why one is here.

The list just gets better.

This morning spent a great hour with a very cute 22 year old in my nice air conditioned condo.

I certainly am going no where been smiling all day.

I bet he isn't. ????

[URMySunshine]

Terrible today. Mouth tastes bad and have a sore throat. Spent an hour in Num Chai yesterday and have a 8.8k Samsung 40m2 air purifier due for delivery next week. Comes with one spare charcoal/hepa filter not including the one it comes with. Nice looking piece of kit with a built in display with remote and control by an app. Will take out odours too so have high hopes of clean air and trouble free cooking in the condo as well. Sad it should come to this because stupid idiots burn their sh%t without any rhyme or reason or control by the powers that should. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY7PV6Cejvk

[Guderian]

I went outside around 11:00 last night to lock the gate and you could hardly breathe out there, it was reeking of smoke, I was left with a nasty burnt wood taste in my mouth for an hour afterwards. Obviously, the idea that it's Thais burning their rubbish or fields at night that's causing at least part of the problem is spot on.

 

What is it with these idiots, their wives and children will be breathing this crud too, don't they care about the potential damage they're causing to their kids' health?

Edited January 9, 2020 by Guderian

[Rimmer]

This problem is going to cost the country billions in health care down the line if they don't address the problem at the root cause and stop it.

[Guderian]

I found this air quality forecast, you can look at either PM2.5 or PM10. Scary at the global level, the entire tropics, almost, looks dangerously polluted.

 

https://aqicn.org/forecast/asia

 

You can zoom in to SEA and it looks like things should start to improve slowly, and by next week it should be noticably better. That's IF this forecast is correct, of course.

 

The big red blob over Bangkok is interesting, slow the animation down and you can see it extending all the way down the coast to cover us. In a few days it's supposed to migrate northwards which will result in us getting better air quality.

[Golden Triangle]

I just checked the AirVisual app on my phone, 14.15 hrs 9/01/20 - 164  ???? 

 

Edit: the reading comes from Tara Patana School, less than a km from me. Scary 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Golden Triangle

[johng]

4 hours ago, Guderian said:

don't they care about the potential damage they're causing to their kids' health?

Sadly ( most)  have no idea  and think its just normal !