Air Quality Near The Airport Worse?

[PoodMaiDai]

I've lived in a few locations in Thailand and this is the first time to find some sort of black filth that covers things in my apartment. The windows are always open, but this is not normal dirt, and I don't think it's normal pollution filth. I'm wondering, since the jets fly directly over my building, if it's some sort of jet fuel residue that is ending up inside our room and ultimatly inside our lungs. Possible? Anyone else have the same problem?

Or is this the norm in Chiang Mai?

It has me concerned as I've never come across this before and I've come down with some pretty nasty respitory problems since staying in Chaing Mai a few months. It took a while to get to me, but once it did it's knocked my on my bum and I was seriously ill for almost two weeks and now for the third week, I have a cough that I simply can not kick. All the while we clean light black residue from our floors and items around the room. Can't be healthy.

[jingjoke]

Probably. But then if you live along Huey Kaew your apartment furnishings (lungs?) are coated in a fine white dust (brake dust from all the traffic?). Moved to near Lanna Hospital as I was worried about brake pads containing asbestos; but in this vicinity your furnishings are coated daily in a fine brown dust. You can move but you can't hide....

Edited January 20, 2012 by jingjoke

[PoodMaiDai]

Probably. But then if you live along Huey Kaew your apartment furnishings (lungs?) are coated in a fine white dust (brake dust from all the traffic?). Moved to near Lanna Hospital as I was worried about brake pads containing asbestos; but in this vicinity your furnishings are coated daily in a fine brown dust. You can move but you can't hide....

That's a problem I haven't had yet. At least I don't think. Maybe there is a thin dusting of brake powder hidden under the black residue.

[Mickeem]

This black dust is the norm in Chiang Mai city. You just have to take a look at the huge numbers of diesel pick up trucks rumbling around the streets to get an idea of the most likely source of the filth.

Also garbage and agricutural burning adds to it.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I don't get black dust.. Don't live next to roads or under airplanes though.

[bristolgeoff]

just wait for the burning season then everyone is under a cloud

[NancyL]

We get this fine black dust in our condo, which is close to Huey Kaew Rd. It was worse when we lived on the 15th floor in a unit that faced Huey Haew, but now we're on the 5th floor, facing away from that road. We still get the dust, though. We didn't have the black dust when we lived in a townhouse in one of the sois off Chang Moi. I think the dust comes from the vehicle exhaust and travels up in the air.

It does encourage us to sweep and dust the condo daily, but one really has to wonder what it's doing to our lungs.

[PoodMaiDai]

We get this fine black dust in our condo, which is close to Huey Kaew Rd. It was worse when we lived on the 15th floor in a unit that faced Huey Haew, but now we're on the 5th floor, facing away from that road. We still get the dust, though. We didn't have the black dust when we lived in a townhouse in one of the sois off Chang Moi. I think the dust comes from the vehicle exhaust and travels up in the air.

It does encourage us to sweep and dust the condo daily, but one really has to wonder what it's doing to our lungs.

Curious, were you facing the airport or not, or had planes fly directly overhead when you lived on the 15th floor vs now?

I stayed in Bangkok for a while on a busy road, had the windows open a lot, and didn't have this issue. Surly this isn't all coming from the old trucks and tuk tuks?

[PoodMaiDai]

I don't get black dust.. Don't live next to roads or under airplanes though.

There ya go.

Moral of this story is, get away from the busy roads and the airport.

Can't imagine what this is doing to our lungs. Anyone know what the lung cancer rate is up here?

[blackpoolbob]

I don't get black dust.. Don't live next to roads or under airplanes though.

There ya go.

Moral of this story is, get away from the busy roads and the airport.

Can't imagine what this is doing to our lungs. Anyone know what the lung cancer rate is up here?

It seems to be very high, second highest in the country.

http://www.nci.go.th/File_download/Cancer%20In%20Thailand%20IV/C-II-11.PDF

In Chiang Mai, lung cancer is

the most important site in men and

the second place in women. Cervix

cancer is the leading cancer in

women. The incidence of cervix

cancer in women is the highest

amongst the nine registries.

In Lampang, the profile of

leading cancer in men is similar to

that in Chiang Mai. Lung cancer in

men is even higher than in Chiang

Mai

http://www.nci.go.th/File_download/Cancer%20In%20Thailand%20IV/C-II-01.PDF

scary read

[Priceless]

It seems to be very high, second highest in the country.

http://www.nci.go.th...0IV/C-II-11.PDF

In Chiang Mai, lung cancer is

the most important site in men and

the second place in women. Cervix

cancer is the leading cancer in

women. The incidence of cervix

cancer in women is the highest

amongst the nine registries.

In Lampang, the profile of

leading cancer in men is similar to

that in Chiang Mai. Lung cancer in

men is even higher than in Chiang

Mai

http://www.nci.go.th...0IV/C-II-01.PDF

scary read

It appears that the incidence of lung cancer is indeed high in Chiang Mai. I have read several reports on research into the reasons for this and there seems to be somewhat of a consensus that a major reason is a fungus, Microsporum canis, that is common in certain areas of Chiang Mai. An abstract of one report is here: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1212389

I have not found any reports pointing to ambient air pollution, which should not be surprising since Chiang Mai has among the lowest average yearly pollution levels in Thailand.

Another fact worth pointing out is that Chiang Mai actually has lower total cancer incidence than the average for Thailand:

"Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Thailand with the age-adjusted mortality rate from the two cancer registries being 89.7 per 100 000 in males, 67.2 per 100 000 in females in Khon Kaen and 133.3 in males, 121.0 in females in Chiang Mai (1,2). The estimated age-adjusted incidence rates of cancer for all sites in Thailand were 150.4 per 100 000 for males and 123.0 for females (3), which are not that significant when compared with earlier data (149.6 for males and 125.2 for females) (4). The incidence rates are comparable to those in Asian countries but about half of those in Western countries"

(Source: http://jjco.oxfordjournals.org/content/32/suppl_1/S82.full )

/ Priceless

[PoodMaiDai]

Spent some time on google looking at health risks living near airports. Good God. Scary stuff.

[NancyL]

I don't really think it's the airport, I think it's the roads and living up high. At ground level, you're often surrounded by trees and shrubs which help to clean the air.

In the U.S. we lived directly under the flight path for a major airport. The planes were so close, we had to stop talking when we were outside and a plane was overhead. I didn't notice this fine black dust -- just some grey dust which was unsurprising since we lived on a gravel road. I imagine the airplanes in CM would have to meet the same pollution emissions standards as the international flights that went into the U.S. airport where we lived. However, the vehicles, especially the motorcycles don't have to meet U.S.-style pollution emission standards.

[daoyai]

I lived for a couple years near Mahadol Rd. and the black soot was thick, I think it is from the busy road.

[KRS1]

4th floor on huay kaew here and no black dust.

[jollyrog]

The air quality in Hang Dong South of Chiang Mai city is absymal. I have lived near the glide path for the airport in BanWangTan for ten years. My wife and I have learned to keep doors and windows closed always with fans circulating the air continually. In summer months multiple air conditioners with electrostatic filters are necessary to filter the air. I change the filters every 6 months as they go from white to black in short order and wash fan blades every 3 months as the black filth seems to find it's way in.

I don't have a breathing problem but I am discerning as I came to Chiang Mai from living 15 years on Maui in Hawaii, a real clean air paradise. I think the old story "you get what you pay for" applies here.

And don't forget your 3M surgeons mask when riding your motorcycle It could add months to your life not to mention your helmet with a sturdy face shield. It just ain't clean out there.

Jolly Roger

[PoodMaiDai]

The air quality in Hang Dong South of Chiang Mai city is absymal. I have lived near the glide path for the airport in BanWangTan for ten years. My wife and I have learned to keep doors and windows closed always with fans circulating the air continually. In summer months multiple air conditioners with electrostatic filters are necessary to filter the air. I change the filters every 6 months as they go from white to black in short order and wash fan blades every 3 months as the black filth seems to find it's way in.

I don't have a breathing problem but I am discerning as I came to Chiang Mai from living 15 years on Maui in Hawaii, a real clean air paradise. I think the old story "you get what you pay for" applies here.

And don't forget your 3M surgeons mask when riding your motorcycle It could add months to your life not to mention your helmet with a sturdy face shield. It just ain't clean out there.

Jolly Roger

It's bad in Hang Dong due to being near the airport, or the seasonal burning?

[el jefe]

Spent some time on google looking at health risks living near airports. Good God. Scary stuff.

As "Priceless" has proven time and time again, you can't take any one single statistic in a vacuum. Or as the famous quote goes "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Living near an airport may be scary, but doesn't it matter how busy the airport is? How many flights a day does CNX have? 30-35 in and out plus a half dozen fighter jet flights?