Ariving in a couple of days with wife's greatgrandaughter who is just over 2 years old. Very concerned now about her health due to the bad air quality in Phayao and area. 2 questions.

1. We got masks but wondering if anyone is using any air purifiers there for their home?

2. Also, what would be a good brand and where to buy in Chiangrai?

Appreciate any comments.

You are right to be concerned, Phayao has one of the worst air quality levels in Thailand at the moment so very likely to affect a 2yr old, my 20mnth old daughter has a runny nose and cough and so have her parents. I honestly can't believe that people can't be prevented or re-educated to stop this from happening every year, I'm off to the beach to escape from it next week and hopefully it'll have improved by the time we get back.

Air purifiers can be found in Sinthanee and also at Central Plaza, good luck!

I googled this.

Many of the portable air cleaners tested by AHAM have moderate to large CADR ratings for small particles. However, for typical room sizes, most portable air cleaners currently on the market do not have high enough CADR values to effectively remove large particles such as pollen, dust mite, and cockroach allergens. Some portable air cleaners using electronic air cleaners might produce ozone, which is a lung irritant. AHAM has a portable air cleaner certification program, and provides a complete listing of all certified cleaners with their CADR values on its Website at www.cadr.org

Thanks, guys. A lot of the purifiers in the states do not meet good standards and very expensive for those that do. Need to find something anyway just for the bedroom where I hang out.

The air quality in Phayao is VERY bad at the moment, so you do have a genuine reason to be concerned if you are outside right now! However, unless you have no windows on your house, you should be just fine.... We don't have any air purifiers in our house and it is OK inside, so don't worry too much. My wife is pregnant too, so I am a little worried about her breathing all of this rubbish in when we have to go out!

It seems to be getting a bit better today, but yesterday was unbelievable - there were large chunks of ash in the air all day, and my eyes were stinging just being outside for 5 minutes. Like I say though, if you close your windows and stay inside, you shouldn't really notice it (apart from the strange 'smoke haze' outside). And if you have air-con in your car, make sure you don't use the 'external air-flow' setting or it will be like sitting around a camp-fire without the marshmallows...!!

I wish people could be re-educated to stop this from happening too; but when there is an easy (burning) option available to them, they are not going to take the hard route to get their land in a good state to use again!? A lack of enforcement from the 'powers that be' doesn't help either...

THe Hatari one seems better value than the rest. You will need to change the filter every month now and every 6 months when the air is better. seems to work well in my room particularly near my desk and bed.

Welcome to the seasonal joys of living in Chiang Rai or the north of Thailand in general. I find myself jonesing for a ride on the mountain bike or a hike in the woods but confine myself to an air-conditioned room or building most of the time. I find a good A/C is enough to keep me comfortable and smoke free.

What works as well is just running a humidifier in the room, windows closed, as noted above. It cycles the air through water and this traps particulates. Some air filter systems actually use this method and it is very dry right now. Aircon also does trap some particles as they pass over the cooling head and drain off with the condensed water. Not as effective with drier air Just a thought.

Air filters will probably work if you keep you room sealed. But what's the point. You still have to go out of the bedroom.