Air dirty these days ?

[susanschwaiger]

Anyone also feeling the air so dirty in Pattaya recently, or it's only my impression? My baby dry coughs a lot. And my husband and I cough too, and have phlegm in throat. Maybe we ride too much on motorbike...... The sky is so hazy and dusty, and sometimes smells like smoke......

[Briggsy]

Yes, we are now in the burning season. The lack of rain means pollution remains in the air. The last few days have also lacked any significant sea breeze which can also clear it. It is much worse in the North of Thailand.

[chiang mai]

Slightly north of Chiang Mai has been fine and clear thus far, I have no sense of it being burning season yet although folks in CM proper may have a different view..

[guzzi850m2]

Yes the air is hazy now and as mentioned; the burning of the fields has started.

We saw it yesterday when driving south on sukhumvit heading towards Sattahib, several fields were getting burned.

I wish this practice would stop but it's going on all over SEA so not very likely.

[TaaSaparot]

Absolutely, its my eyes it affects the most.

Can't remember them being so itchy and red for a long time.

[LALes]

Happens every winter. Most of it is dirty air from China brought down south by Arctic winds that start in Siberia.

Consequently, January and February are the worst months for air in SE Asia.

Check the air quality index at the bottom of the weather page in the Bkk Post.

There is a little circle colored green or yellow with a number in it.

The reading is taken in BKK but there's not much difference in the air between

BKK and Pattaya right now.

These days, the circle is yellow; meaning that the aqi is over 100 (unhealthful).

The worst day I saw last year in BKK had a reading of 176. (Feb.13)

Another aspect of the bad air is that you have to sweep your floors two or three times a day.

As bad as the air is here, can you imagine living in China where they customarily have readings in the

300-500 range??!!!!!!

Go to aqmthai.com and check out the readings on a daily basis.

[Toknarok]

Sugar cane burning is the air pollution problem at this time of year in Issan. Is there much cane grown in Chonburi?

[Nemesis7]

Yeah you are right, specially around pattaya these days for sure

[chiang mai]

Happens every winter. Most of it is dirty air from China brought down south by Arctic winds that start in Siberia.

Consequently, January and February are the worst months for air in SE Asia.

Check the air quality index at the bottom of the weather page in the Bkk Post.

There is a little circle colored green or yellow with a number in it.

The reading is taken in BKK but there's not much difference in the air between

BKK and Pattaya right now.

These days, the circle is yellow; meaning that the aqi is over 100 (unhealthful).

The worst day I saw last year in BKK had a reading of 176. (Feb.13)

Another aspect of the bad air is that you have to sweep your floors two or three times a day.

As bad as the air is here, can you imagine living in China where they customarily have readings in the

300-500 range??!!!!!!

Go to aqmthai.com and check out the readings on a daily basis.

You may wish to read the air pollution threads in the Chiang Mai forum to better understand the cause of poor air quality in Thailand and SE Asia at this time of the year (through mid April), crop burning is the major factor although the inversion layer also plays a significant role. Expect it to get worse from now until when the rains begin mid April - wind currents from the SW import pollution from fires in Myanmar. Perhaps also check the fire maps to better understand the extent of the issue.

[ggt]

There are enough small and large fires going on at any one time around Pattaya to corrupt the air you breathe...I take an allergy tab everyday to help me cope with potential breathing problems...I hear it is worse at times in Chiang Mai...

[IAMHERE]

yes, for the last two months or so. I can hardly believe it is farmers fields burning. Worse than in yhears past or I am up higher in my condo. I hate to think I am breathing that smog. On a clear day I can see form soi 5 to the water in Jomtien, only been 3 days like that since Thanksgiving.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Chiang Mai city is still clear and fresh. Not sure how much longer it will last. Brilliant cool season so far.

[KhnomKhnom]

I have a very fine gray dust that comes into my house and is on EVERYTHING, even seems to get into the pages of closed books. It is very fine like good baby powder and colored gray, almost black.

I live surrounded by green plants for miles, no burning (except people dead), and no factory output.

What is that stuff ?

[onemorechang]

Could be ash from Temple BBQ.

[chiang mai]

Here's the link to the satellite fire maps.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783391-smoke-smog-dust-2015-chiang-mai/

[craigt3365]

Just got into Pattaya from Bangkok. Visibility was absolutely horrible. And my eyes were burning....but that could of been a result of the party last night! 55555

[Briggsy]

Looking out over the bay into the Gulf of Thailand, visibility is less than 3 kms. The pollution haze is quite evident.

[fatfather]

I have a very fine gray dust that comes into my house and is on EVERYTHING, even seems to get into the pages of closed books. It is very fine like good baby powder and colored gray, almost black.

I live surrounded by green plants for miles, no burning (except people dead), and no factory output.

What is that stuff ?

Burning sugarcane and the paddy fields... Thais call it "black snow"

Fatfather

[Simon1287]

Phew yes! I was going to put a post up about it myself. For several days now the air in Pattaya has been far worse than usual. About 3 days ago it was as bad as I can remember it ever being, When I went out at night the vehicle headlights seemed to be shining through a light fog. So many people coughing and complaining of sore throats.

I am on the 6th floor here looking up towards Big Buddha Hill and it is still very hazy now.

Goodness knows what it must be like for people with asthma etc.

Strange thing. I almost never see any mosquitoes at all up here on the 6th floor but the past few days. while the pollution has been bad, there are dozens of them flying around up here. Presumably, trying to escape the pollution lower down. Cough cough.

I might shoot off somewhere for a while til it all dies down a bit. Cough.

Simon

[Simon1287]

Will a normal household air con unit filter out stuff like that or are the particles too fine? Simon

[craigt3365]

Just took a peek at the pool skimmer. It's filled with black stuff floating on the surface. Yuck.

[Suradit69]

Looking out over the bay into the Gulf of Thailand, visibility is less than 3 kms. The pollution haze is quite evident.

Looking at the air from the fifteenth floor, as I do, it sometimes seems a proper obscuring smog even when it's not as noticeable at street level. Sometimes in the early morning when there is little breeze, visibility from this elevation, looking south is far less than 3 km. Definitely an annual event.

Spend a lot of time itching my eyes and trying to clear my throat.

Just took a peek at the pool skimmer. It's filled with black stuff floating on the surface. Yuck.

Yes, I leave my balcony doors and windows open pretty much 24/7 and every day or two running a dust cloth over furniture turns the cloth black.

[chiang mai]

Will a normal household air con unit filter out stuff like that or are the particles too fine? Simon

PM10 and below is too small for normal aircon filters. Go to Homepro and buy a bag of filtrette, made by 3M, costs about 150 baht or so. Cut that to size and cover your aircon filters, it works majic.

[ToddinChonburi]

I am on the 14th floor and get that same black junk on my clothe when I wipe the floor. About every two or three days I do it, I can feel the stuff on my feet when walking. Humidity has been up the last couple of days and no wind. Looks really foggy out to me.

[spidermike007]

I believe we are also seeing drifting smoke and pollution from both Indonesia, and China. If you study the currents, they tend to blow east off the Chinese mainland out to the South China Sea. There is another set of currents that blow south across the that sea. Could we be seeing some of the massive pollution form the mainland of China? And the burning on Sumatra?

[spidermike007]

Spend 15,000 baht on a really good samsung air filter. It has 6 different filtration systems, and filters out a lot of junk, and particulate matter. I have one, and it does seem to help.

[hugocnx]

Chiang Mai city is still clear and fresh. Not sure how much longer it will last. Brilliant cool season so far.

Man!!, have you seen Doi Suthep? It's already smogged up in Chiang mai like hell and burning season has't really started yet.

If you don't see them white fumes, there is no burning. It;s the city itself. so Pattaya, welcome to the club.

If this country is doing nothing about the car exhaust, whatever cars from, but mostly Song Theew in Chiang Mai, better forget about it.

Escaping means you go live in Ban Unknown and then still I wish you luck as hell do these bolan people know how to burn fresh grass.

No, didn't mean that grass. 55.

[hugocnx]

Spend 15,000 baht on a really good samsung air filter. It has 6 different filtration systems, and filters out a lot of junk, and particulate matter. I have one, and it does seem to help.

So now you stay at home all day? 6 different filters and once you get out of your hut you have 6 deseases from the pollution. Give me a break will ya.

[hugocnx]

I have a very fine gray dust that comes into my house and is on EVERYTHING, even seems to get into the pages of closed books. It is very fine like good baby powder and colored gray, almost black.

I live surrounded by green plants for miles, no burning (except people dead), and no factory output.

What is that stuff ?

If you live near a big city you will probably have the dust fall-out of that city.

A city is hot; air goes up and spreads in the surroundings when cooling of on higher altitude.

You are not safe wherever you go in Thailand.

[wpcoe]

Will a normal household air con unit filter out stuff like that or are the particles too fine? Simon

PM10 and below is too small for normal aircon filters. Go to Homepro and buy a bag of filtrette, made by 3M, costs about 150 baht or so. Cut that to size and cover your aircon filters, it works majic.

+1 for Filtrete. However, the irony is that the time of year that the black soot is a problem -- i.e. Jan/Feb -- is the time of year I can l leave the doors/windows open without air con since it is nice and cool.