This is truly awful -Pollution.

[Unify]

The mistake many people make is in saying that the pollution doesn't 'bother' them, and thinking they're ok, because they're not coughing. Pollution increases the risk factor for multiple conditions, including  strokes, which might not have symptoms until it's too late.

[Northstar1]

1 minute ago, Unify said:

The mistake many people make is in saying that the pollution doesn't 'bother' them, and thinking they're ok, because they're not coughing. Pollution increases the risk factor for multiple conditions, including  strokes, which might not have symptoms until it's too late.

You nailed it!

10 ring!

yes the retiree’s try to convince other people ( not themselves) that they are living the dream and have made the correct decision for retirement.

When they know damn well, it’s polluted <deleted> hole!

stay indoors, wear a mask!

it doesn’t affect me!

im living the dream!

let’s get real!

admit it!

you made a bad choice!

????????‍♂️????????????‍♂️????????‍♂️

[farmerjo]

21 hours ago, farmerjo said:

I thought it was bad here in Isan today at 62 till i read this thread.

Rain on the way tomorrow with a bit of luck.

Nice steady rain here west of Khon Kaen,should freshen things up a bit.

AQI down to 49.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Things are better thus far in BKK today:

 

 

https://aqicn.org/station/thailand/bangkok/phloen-chit-road/

 

 

Quote

yes the retiree’s try to convince other people ( not themselves) that they are living the dream and have made the correct decision for retirement.

 

If you look back at BKK's pollution history for 2022, you'll find that days totaling about three months out of the entire year had air pollution levels at varying stages of unhealthy -- the orange or red color designations.  The remaining 9 months of the year, the air is pretty much OK.

 

 

For me, having to run my HEPA air purifier indoors and wear a mask during bad air times like this outdoors during those portions of the year is outweighed by the other advantages of living here.  Every place has its assorted pluses and minuses.  But if the bad air was yearround, I personally wouldn't live here.

 

The comparable period of unhealthy air in Los Angeles seems to be far fewer than in Bangkok -- only about two weeks out of the year. But the various governments there take air pollution controls much more seriously than the Thai govt. does here. [Though many years back, air pollution in L.A. was very bad and much more like BKK today. But So. Cal. regulated solutions to the problem in past years.] See the comparable chart below showing AQI days above 100 for a Los Angeles station.

 

 

https://aqicn.org/station/@201190

 

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[brewsterbudgen]

It's just something that, unfortunately, we have to learn to live with.  Welcome to Asia.

[Lorry]

14 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

I doubt as though your home country has crystal pure air. at least here air purifiers and common place and inexpensive:

 

"Air pollution is the United Kingdom’s biggest environmental health threat, with outdoor pollutants estimated to contribute towards 40,000 excess premature deaths per year, costing the UK economy upwards of £20 billion (US $25 billion) annually".

 

https://www.iqair.com/us/uk

What counts as "air pollution" in Europe and what we experience here is different by an order of magnitude. 

I just checked Bangkok on aqicn: 114 - not too bad.

But I cannot remember having seen values like this in my home country.

I just checked my home town, a city of 2m people: 12.

This city is renowned for the worst air in the country,  so I checked our capital,  which is a lot bigger: 11.

[nigelforbes]

2 minutes ago, Lorry said:

What counts as "air pollution" in Europe and what we experience here is different by an order of magnitude. 

I just checked Bangkok on aqicn: 114 - not too bad.

But I cannot remember having seen values like this in my home country.

I just checked my home town, a city of 2m people: 12.

This city is renowned for the worst air in the country,  so I checked our capital,  which is a lot bigger: 11.

I'm not bashing the UK here, just making a point:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/28/dirty-air-affects-97-of-uk-homes-data-shows#:~:text=Virtually every home in the,of dirty air to date.

[mstevens]

On 2/2/2023 at 3:17 PM, Lee65 said:

Consider vitamin B-complex and its ability to mitigate the effects of air pollution.

The state of pollution in Bangkok this past week you might want to up that recommendation to Glutathione. Not sure if a good B complex would suffiice!

[fusion58]

On 2/2/2023 at 2:14 PM, CH1961 said:

OMG life is dangerous ????

Someone who moves to Thailand and complains about pollution is just as smart as someone who lives in NYC and complains about traffic. 

Or getting upset about Pakis in UK. 

Or complain about cost of living in Switzerland. 

But the latter have clean air. 

 

Or someone who moves to California and complains about all the liberals. 

[fusion58]

On 2/2/2023 at 9:11 AM, RandolphGB said:

You've been spending too much time with Thais: 'If you don't like it, go home'.

 

Careful - you don’t want him to dismiss you as a “woke snowflake” or something like that. ????

[orchis]

On 2/3/2023 at 1:22 PM, brewsterbudgen said:

It's just something that, unfortunately, we have to learn to live with.

or die with.
anything that goes through your lungs or veins builds up gradually and is a slow killer.
in the meantime we think 'we got used to it'.
boiling frog syndrome.

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, orchis said:

or die with.
anything that goes through your lungs or veins builds up gradually and is a slow killer.
in the meantime we think 'we got used to it'.
boiling frog syndrome.

Indeed.  We'll all die some day.  If you decide to live in Asia, it's something to factor in.

[BananaStrong]

On 2/3/2023 at 9:45 AM, Unify said:

Pollution increases the risk factor for multiple conditions, including  strokes, which might not have symptoms until it's too late.

sort of like unprotected sex with someone in Pattaya or Phuket or Bangkok or Chiangmai, etc.....

 

You won't die from AIDS the next morning.   

 

Everyone says, "Oh, the pollution will stop tomorrow.  I can handle one more day, it's not that bad, I'm used to coughing, my eyes like burning, I hate my lungs anyhow, my brain will be fine, I'll act like it's not pollution, I'll recover fast....."

 

Save a little money, die 10-years too early while suffering for the last 20-years....

 

pollution is a real killer.  

[brewsterbudgen]

16 minutes ago, BananaStrong said:

sort of like unprotected sex with someone in Pattaya or Phuket or Bangkok or Chiangmai, etc.....

 

You won't die from AIDS the next morning.   

 

Everyone says, "Oh, the pollution will stop tomorrow.  I can handle one more day, it's not that bad, I'm used to coughing, my eyes like burning, I hate my lungs anyhow, my brain will be fine, I'll act like it's not pollution, I'll recover fast....."

 

Save a little money, die 10-years too early while suffering for the last 20-years....

 

pollution is a real killer.  

Yes. It's one of the hazards of living in Asia.  There are others too!

[Neeranam]

Do those air cleaners work, thinking of getting some for my house. I have breathing issues since getting Covid. 

[ozimoron]

It's been nice the past couple of days in Pattaya since it poured rain for a couple of hours. No more smoke.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

Do those air cleaners work, thinking of getting some for my house. I have breathing issues since getting Covid. 

A quality "true" HEPA air filter/purifier will definitely reduce the PM2.5 pollution levels in your home, provided you run it as needed and buy a model or models suitably sized for your living space.

 

But whether the HEPA purifier will give you any noticeable difference in your post COVID breathing issues is a different matter... It certainly wouldn't hurt, but whether it would help for that, I think the only way is to try and see.

 

Either way, having a HEPA purifier here in Thailand (and replacing the HEPA filter as needed), is good investment for your long-term health and lifespan.

 

Some models come with an AQI or PM2.5 micrograms readout that tells you when your local air is bad and you need to run the purifier... My particular models don't have that real-time monitoring display, so I bought a couple of small, standalone PM2.5 monitors for my home that provide a continuous read-out, and let me know when I need to turn the purifier on and/or raise or lower the fan speed.

 

 

 

[Neeranam]

17 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

A quality "true" HEPA air filter/purifier will definitely reduce the PM2.5 pollution levels in your home, provided you run it as needed and buy a model or models suitably sized for your living space.

 

But whether the HEPA purifier will give you any noticeable difference in your post COVID breathing issues is a different matter... It certainly wouldn't hurt, but whether it would help for that, I think the only way is to try and see.

 

Either way, having a HEPA purifier here in Thailand (and replacing the HEPA filter as needed), is good investment for your long-term health and lifespan.

 

Some models come with an AQI or PM2.5 micrograms readout that tells you when your local air is bad and you need to run the purifier... My particular models don't have that real-time monitoring display, so I bought a couple of small, standalone PM2.5 monitors for my home that provide a continuous read-out, and let me know when I need to turn the purifier on and/or raise or lower the fan speed.

 

 

 

Great, thanks a lot for the info, I'll check the prices.

[BananaStrong]

oops

Edited February 5, 2023 by BananaStrong

[BananaStrong]

Just now, BananaStrong said:

6:45 a.m. and IQAir is ONLY BROWN/Orange colored today!!!!!!   Orange/Brown....or is like a dark Orange (lol), not red!!!!!!  Wow, clean air!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh wait. 

 

lol

 

[Celsius]

I am noticing this for several years now and I don't think my head is playing with me.

 

After a few days of bad pollution I always get very very mild smell of something burning.... and I think it comes from air-conditioner. No matter where I go, my place or somebody's else place it is always there. It feels like a smell from a put down cigarette in another room. 

[actonion]

A couple of years ago the Thai prime minister attended a   global warming meeting  in Glasgow . Scotland  promising to do something about the dirty air in Thailand, or was it to stock up  his whisky cabinet