Lung Health in Chiang Mai

[Somnambulist]

What can we do to protect or clean our lungs during this smoky time? I won't wear a mask. They're too hot and because of my big nose my hot breath always ends up steaming up my glasses. Even in my bedroom I can smell smoke coming through the air conditioner. So there's no avoiding it unless you leave, which I can't. At the end of the smoky season I always have my air conditioners cleaned but you can't stick a hose into your lungs. What to do? I already take magnesium, which is good for many things, including the lungs, but it's not enough. I also meditate daily. Just mindfully following the breathing definitely helps some. A neti pot or squeeze bottle with water and baking soda and/or salt cleans out the sinuses, which are the first line of defense. What do all of you CM veterans do? There must be something else I'm missing.

[Chicog]

You want to protect your lungs, you filter, that's all you can do.

Whether it's through your AC or a mask, it's the same thing: Get the particles out of the air before you breathe it in.

[Somnambulist]

You want to protect your lungs, you filter, that's all you can do.

Whether it's through your AC or a mask, it's the same thing: Get the particles out of the air before you breathe it in.

According to a friend, one can also locally buy paper filters that strap on to the air con unit inside your room. He bought one and after five days it looked like it was supposed to after two months! Don't know how much they cost or where he got it, one of the big home centers, I think.

[thepool]

Best protection for the lungs ?

Move away from the pollution ! Leave CM.!

No paper mask will offer protection and unless A/C units are fitted with expensive HEPA filters do not expect any protection indoors

This topic is a predicable yearly event !

[eyecatcher]

I think it was yesterday I read some words of wisdom from the chief health officer to chiangmai.

He suggested not to do any outdoor activities but better still don't go outside........

.........for 6 weeks?

WAW acronym

[Ulysses G.]

I would not even notice it if I did not read Thai Visa. I'm not sure there is much you can do that will make any real difference, besides leave town.

[femi fan]

Accept it. If you can't leave, stop resisting it. Just deal with it. It's really no hardship, bangkok and many cities in asia are worse than what we've got for a month all year round. I just don't understand why so many people go into communication overdrive at this time of year in chiang mai. It doesn't even SMELL of pollution.

However, i've got a practical answer for you. I've just spent the last night high up in khun tan national park, about 1100 metres high or something like that. Last night we saw hundreds of stars, and before that we saw the sun set, not behind a mountain mind you, but below the haze blanket! Above us was lovely blue sky. This morning we walked up to the summit to see a 360 degree view of mountains and the haze. The sun rose, out of the haze! My point is that we had got above the haze and were breathing in perfectly normal fresh air.

So find a high spot and go there a couple of days a week to get some respite.

[FolkGuitar]

There are masks and there are masks... Find a particulate filter mask that fits you and wear it. They do come in all sizes. If yours is too hot, that suggests that it doesn't have an exhaust port. Mine does, and so does NOT steam up my eyeglasses . Staying indoors is absolutely no help unless you have some way to filter the air coming in, or filter once it's inside. Without some sort of filter system, the air inside is just about as bad as the air outside.

[Beetlejuice]

Over the years I have suffered from frequent coughing and a permanent sore chest. I regularly contract bronchitis and have to take medications that only relieve the symptoms slightly but are certainly no cure.

As some posters have correctly mentioned, these cloth and paper masks are completely useless, they do not stop the majority of dust particles and poison fumes in the air from entering the body. The only foolproof way is to wear a respirator, something similar to a gas mask used during WW2 or to seal all windows and doors in a room, lock yourself in and have an aircon with filters running 24 hours per day.

Unfortunately I don`t think there are any solutions to this problem other than what another poster has mentioned and that`s to move far away from the area as possible. But what I have gathered, the pollution is no where as bad in Chiang Mai as it is in some parts of China and Paris, France at the moment.

[CMNightRider]

This isn't for everyone but this is what I wear during the smokey season. :-(

[jonwilly]

When it's bad in CM I go south, seaside, where I am now.

john

One who suffers in CM's smog.

[Cheesekraft]

There are things you can do, a few:

Avoid going outside unless necessary, definitely don't exericise outside now.

Buy a 3M P95 mask. Standard ones won't help, you can get them for about 80-100 baht at central department stores.

Take Vitamin C, NAC, and glutathione. These help your body fight off the cancerous air.

[elektrified]

When it's bad in CM I go south, seaside, where I am now. john One who suffers in CM's smog.

Exactly. We leave every year for about 5 weeks or so and head to the beach. We are usually gone by this time but have unfinished business so far this year. We'll be outta here next week. Be back in May. Simple. Every year people whine and complain, start endless threads..... Just pack up and head to the beach. Return when the air is better. Really quite simple. Some people seem like they enjoy complaining.

[Somnambulist]

"Some people seem like they enjoy complaining."

Look in the mirror and you'll see the only person complaining on this thread. lol

[Somnambulist]

There are things you can do, a few:

Avoid going outside unless necessary, definitely don't exericise outside now.

Buy a 3M P95 mask. Standard ones won't help, you can get them for about 80-100 baht at central department stores.

Take Vitamin C, NAC, and glutathione. These help your body fight off the cancerous air.

Lin jiu (reishi) mushroom enhances glutathione metabolism, too, and also improves the libido and overall energy. I took C with NAC and ALA for a while but didn't feel anything so I stopped. Oral glutathione is a waste of money because it doesn't survive the stomach acid. But thanks for the other tips. I've stopped walking the dogs.

[T_Dog]

Escaping CM to clean air is the best think you can do. Barring that, put Filtrete on your fans and AC and let them run with your windows closed. If you go outside, wear a mask that is intended to capture those micron sized particles.

I use a 3M N95 mask, part number 9913V that I bought at the 3M store on Waluai road. It has a carbon pack as well so that even gets rid of the smoke smell. I wear glasses too and it does not fog them up as it has an exhaust valve on it. Unfortunately, the mask does nothing to protect your eyes. The smoke is so bad today that my eyes sting like crazy when I go outside. Some people can handle this smoke, whereas some are very sensitive to it. I put myself somewhere in the middle, but you can't dispute the negative health effects that are well documented.

[Cheesekraft]

your right, reduced/"standard" glutathione isn't bioavailable, but liposomal glutathione and even better acetylglutathione are actively absorbed. You won't "feel" c/nac/ala but they will help.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Cheesekraft

[Awk]

Staying indoors is absolutely no help unless you have some way to filter the air coming in, or filter once it's inside. Without some sort of filter system, the air inside is just about as bad as the air outside.

I do not think that is true. I've done some measurements, and even in the very poorly isolated house I rent, there is about 20% less pollution inside than outside. Obviously, windows, walls, and doors will block some of the air, so in general it will be better to stay inside.

For those without any other choice, I would recommend something like this (that is 3M's Filtrete material on the outside, available at HomePro and elsewhere):

Run it at high speed for 30 minutes or so, and thereafter for 10-15 minutes at high speed every one or two hour, or continously at a lower speed.

The actual minutes I have pulled out of thin air, but according to some minimal measurements I did last month, running such a fan/3M Filtrete setup will after less than one hour result in the particle count, and presumably pollution, in a small room being about half of what it is outside, and in the 3M Filtrete quickly darkening.

Another member here has used a different type of fan, with probably better results. Perhaps he will chime in with some details.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Awk

[mat999]

I put new filtrate on aircon this morning. It is already almost all grey so may have to try the filtrate fan trick too.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[FolkGuitar]

Staying indoors is absolutely no help unless you have some way to filter the air coming in, or filter once it's inside. Without some sort of filter system, the air inside is just about as bad as the air outside.

I do not think that is true. I've done some measurements, and even in the very poorly isolated house I rent, there is about 20% less pollution inside than outside. Obviously, windows, walls, and doors will block some of the air, so in general it will be better to stay inside. ..................

Right... So if today's pm count is 220, indoors will 'only' be about 176... Much healthier to stay indoors...

Oops! 2014-03-21 13:00 PM3: 233 I guess it's higher!

As I said, without some sort of filter system the air inside isn't any better for you than the air outside.

Edited March 21, 2014 by FolkGuitar

[Awk]

Staying indoors is absolutely no help unless you have some way to filter the air coming in, or filter once it's inside. Without some sort of filter system, the air inside is just about as bad as the air outside.

I do not think that is true. I've done some measurements, and even in the very poorly isolated house I rent, there is about 20% less pollution inside than outside. Obviously, windows, walls, and doors will block some of the air, so in general it will be better to stay inside. ..................

Right... So if today's pm count is 220, indoors will 'only' be about 176... Much healthier to stay indoors...

As I said, without some sort of filter system the air inside isn't any better for you than the air outside.

For those staying in more modern and better isolated apartments than old leaking houses, hopefully the improvement will be a little more. But you are right of course, both are terrible.

[thepool]

Awk says

"I do not think that is true. I've done some measurements, and even in the very poorly isolated house I rent, there is about 20% less pollution inside than outside. Obviously, windows, walls, and doors will block some of the air, so in general it will be better to stay inside. "

​I wonder how this measurement is done ?

If one looks here

http://www.bcairquality.ca/101/measure-air-quality.html

The whole measurement process appears to be somewhat complex!

[Awk]

Awk says

"I do not think that is true. I've done some measurements, and even in the very poorly isolated house I rent, there is about 20% less pollution inside than outside. Obviously, windows, walls, and doors will block some of the air, so in general it will be better to stay inside. "

​I wonder how this measurement is done ?

If one looks here

http://www.bcairquality.ca/101/measure-air-quality.html

The whole measurement process appears to be somewhat complex!

I did some measurements using a DC1700 particle counter from Dylos. The above is a vastly more thorough and professional setup of course, but with limited financial means, I wanted to get an estimate over how much closed doors, AC, and air purifier would help. For that I think a particle counter is a good device.

[thepool]

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Awk says

"I do not think that is true. I've done some measurements, and even in the very poorly isolated house I rent, there is about 20% less pollution inside than outside. Obviously, windows, walls, and doors will block some of the air, so in general it will be better to stay inside. "

​I wonder how this measurement is done ?

If one looks here

http://www.bcairquality.ca/101/measure-air-quality.html

The whole measurement process appears to be somewhat complex!

I did some measurements using a DC1700 particle counter from Dylos. The above is a vastly more thorough and professional setup of course, but with limited financial means, I wanted to get an estimate over how much closed doors, AC, and air purifier would help. For that I think a particle counter is a good device.

Thanks for responding.

From memory the 1700 is a battery driven hand held ,laser, particle counter which as you say will provide some limited indication of air quality.

It is the noxious gases which really need monitoring !

Edit /-----An afterthought!

I am surprised that Chiang Mai University does not routinely monitor air quality . I a/m sure that grants could be obtained if funding was a issue.

Edited March 21, 2014 by thepool

[slipperylobster]

My lungs are so valuable, as is my heart. There is no city I could grow fond of at the risk of heart and lung problems.

keep it.

[mr chow]

See thread about CNX being closed

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[puukao]

I've spent 2 "smoke seasons" in CM, and I am convinced there is long-term harmful effects. I was taking thai courses at the time, but I should have dropped the classes and went to somewhere healthier. I even wore a mask, even at night, ran the A/C, but during season #2 i did have to go to the hospital. I was extremely active, still am, so i am more sensitive to changes. no question something got into my lungs and no way is that a good thing for extended periods of time.

if you can, please leave. if you have kids and can leave, please leave. if pregnant, please leave. etc....

come back, enjoy.

[daveAustin]

Accept it. If you can't leave, stop resisting it. Just deal with it. It's really no hardship, bangkok and many cities in asia are worse than what we've got for a month all year round. I just don't understand why so many people go into communication overdrive at this time of year in chiang mai. It doesn't even SMELL of pollution

Spoken like a true diehard lol. You know, you can say how it really is and still be a CM lover, she won't be offended. Guess it could be worse, you could be in complete denial as others in thread.

[Ulysses G.]

you could be in complete denial as others in thread.

Or completely neurotic as are many others.

[Somnambulist]

I just googled "cleaning smokers' lungs" and there are lots of results but I'm wondering if there are any exsmokers here who can make my research easier. What steps/treatment did you take to recover your lung health?