Air in Bangkok least polluted among world’s global cities

[chilli42]

Believable. Hong Kong and the big China cities are dreadful. Singapore and KL bad when Indo is in flames

[Emster23]

I'd quit smoking, but the tar provides a barrier to some of the nastier stuff in the air.

[Pacificperson]

I lived decades in Berlin, a city that pays a ridiculously high price for good air quality (strict regulations on vehicles, a dense public transport e.g,). A stronghold of the green party, the bicycle guerrilla and whatever.

Now I am told that Bangkok has way better air than Berlin.

Aha.

I think its time for me to do a Bangkok excursion to do a deep breath.

Bangkok LPG buses and taxis versus Volkswagen diesels.

[SoiBiker]

If I might add my 2 cents worth.

When I first arrived in the Kok 13 years ago, iI used to remark that I never see the sun. The haze just cut it out.

But this week, getting up early in the morning, I see a beautiful blue sky.

The change has be unbelievable.

In this, as in so many things, the old guard just repeat the outdated cliches rather than open their eyes and see the rapidly changing country around them.

[slipperylobster]

The smell is the canals. After all, the air might be clean, but the water is something else entirely...

The canals, I have been told, are well stocked with brown trout.

[Time Traveller]

Yeah sure it is. Whatever.

[grahambkk]

I have lived in Thailand nearly 22 years now. During the 1990s my job responsibilities required me to contact the medical staff of major embassies in Thailand on this issue--expats in the company I used to work for were trying to get higher hardship allowances for pollution in Bangkok. The results were that Bangkok's pollution levels were lower than in many other large cities around the world--possibly even suggesting the hardship allowances ought to be reduced not increased! I add to this my own serious allergy problems when I used to live in Europe--hay fever, etc. Since living in Thailand I have suffered much less from allergy issues-- a major reason for my decision to live here. So, I have to endorse these latest findings. Bangkok is not the polluted city that some people would think. Do not confuse the hazy atmosphere that we see many days with pollution...

[alfalfa19]

Doesn't really make sense. I've been in both bkk and san francisco, and san francisco has much cleaner air, due to breezy conditions. I don't know how they rate bkk as cleaner than sf.

[cookee68]

Yeah and my farts don't stink

[bbbbooboo]

Did they take the sample 100 km above BKK?

[Thian]

The smell is awful I just can't believe the air quality is better in Bangkok than in a small city like Amsterdam , sorry this is not a reliable research.

Amsterdam has much more wind then Bangkok, much less and far cleaner cars and is a much smaller city then BKK, at least 10 times smaller. People use bicycles en masse and the smallest cars.

Bangkok has no wind, much more pollution, heat, sun....i can't believe BKK is cleaner, the Dutch will feel very offended if so.

[lopburi3]

17

Good

Updated on Wed. 8:00

Temp: 31°C

Bangkok - http://aqicn.org/city/bangkok/

30

Good

Updated on Tuesday 18:00

Temp: 11°C

San Fran - http://aqicn.org/city/california/san-francisco/san-francisco-arkansas-street/

24

Good

Updated on Wed. 3:00

Temp: 7°C

Amsterdam - http://aqicn.org/city/amsterdam/

[Norcan]

We operate a business that entails measuring the most popular IAQ-related outdoor air contaminants (TVOCs, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate PM2.5 and PM10, Ozone and Formaldehyde) to compare against levels recorded inside buildings. Reason we measure the outside air is to see how well a building's 'envelope' copes with the filtration of these outdoor air contaminants (and to see if any contaminants are being generated by anything contained within the building's interior).

I am constantly surprised when we collect the measurements and collate them. I am currently working on an IAQ assessment we recently completed on Sukhumvit Soi 31 and ALL the above contaminants score in the "Good" or "Excellent" Class as determined by the Hong Kong and Singapore Government Environmental Departments. We don't use the Thai parameters as we (and our clients!) trust those two government's perceptions of IAQ over those issued by the Thai bodies.

FYI - we only use GrayWolf IAQ equipment imported from the manufacturer in the USA and calibrated annually back in the country of origin.

Cheers...

[Alration]

I can beleave it...there are practicaly no Volkswagen & Audi 's here .

Just kidding VW is much cleaner than the diesels driving in Bangkok.

Which diesels?

[Alration]

Hilarious. They will lie about absolutely anything. The funniest thing is they don't mean to be funny.

Who will lie so hilariously about everything? An independent organisation with no biased agenda?

[Alration]

The smell is awful I just can't believe the air quality is better in Bangkok than in a small city like Amsterdam , sorry this is not a reliable research.

Neither is yours, I suspect. The researchers didn't base everything on the sensitivity of one person's nose.

And you think they based it on facts?

Why would an independent organisation with no connection to Thailand or Bangkok base the survey on anything else?

[Alration]

I simply don't believe it. One only needs to leave a car parked up outside for a couple of months to see a thick layer of muck deposited. I haven't experience that elsewhere.

In your research and your personal experience, what was the outcome of your leaving a car parked up for a couple of months in Melbourne, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Paris, Nice, Berlin, Mumbai, Rome, Venice, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, Lima, Lisbon, Barcelona, Istanbul, Ankara, London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, Dubai, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Washington, Sydney, Madrid, Amsterdam and Venice as compared to Bangkok?

Maybe you should provide your findings to the magazine so that they can correct their flawed report.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Alration

[Alration]

Survey done by whom, DOT Property, trying to sell Thailand property, right! In August no less, come back and do it again in March!!!

Wrong!

DOT Property did not do the survey. "Nature" published the research, Airport Parking And Hotels put the report together, DOT just wrote about it.

What difference would doing the report in March have made?

[Alration]

Doesn't really make sense. I've been in both bkk and san francisco, and san francisco has much cleaner air, due to breezy conditions. I don't know how they rate bkk as cleaner than sf.

"...san francisco has much cleaner air..."

Says who? How did you measure San Fransisco's air quality?

"I don't know how they rate bkk as cleaner than sf."

Read the full report and all will become clear (just like Bangkok's air)

[Alration]

Amsterdam has much more wind then Bangkok, much less and far cleaner cars and is a much smaller city then BKK, at least 10 times smaller. People use bicycles en masse and the smallest cars.

Bangkok has no wind, much more pollution, heat, sun....i can't believe BKK is cleaner, the Dutch will feel very offended if so.

"Bangkok has no wind, much more pollution, heat, sun..."

Bangkok does have wind, Bangkok does not have as much air pollution, that's the bloody point of the report, and the report also says that the temperature and air quality have no connection.

What does it matter if the Dutch are offended? All they have to do is to clean up Amsterdam's air in time for the next report.

[Alration]

We operate a business that entails measuring the most popular IAQ-related outdoor air contaminants (TVOCs, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate PM2.5 and PM10, Ozone and Formaldehyde) to compare against levels recorded inside buildings. Reason we measure the outside air is to see how well a building's 'envelope' copes with the filtration of these outdoor air contaminants (and to see if any contaminants are being generated by anything contained within the building's interior).

I am constantly surprised when we collect the measurements and collate them. I am currently working on an IAQ assessment we recently completed on Sukhumvit Soi 31 and ALL the above contaminants score in the "Good" or "Excellent" Class as determined by the Hong Kong and Singapore Government Environmental Departments. We don't use the Thai parameters as we (and our clients!) trust those two government's perceptions of IAQ over those issued by the Thai bodies.

FYI - we only use GrayWolf IAQ equipment imported from the manufacturer in the USA and calibrated annually back in the country of origin.

Cheers...

Oh dear, the Thailand bashers and haters aren't going to like that!

[Norcan]

We operate a business that entails measuring the most popular IAQ-related outdoor air contaminants (TVOCs, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate PM2.5 and PM10, Ozone and Formaldehyde) to compare against levels recorded inside buildings. Reason we measure the outside air is to see how well a building's 'envelope' copes with the filtration of these outdoor air contaminants (and to see if any contaminants are being generated by anything contained within the building's interior).

I am constantly surprised when we collect the measurements and collate them. I am currently working on an IAQ assessment we recently completed on Sukhumvit Soi 31 and ALL the above contaminants score in the "Good" or "Excellent" Class as determined by the Hong Kong and Singapore Government Environmental Departments. We don't use the Thai parameters as we (and our clients!) trust those two government's perceptions of IAQ over those issued by the Thai bodies.

FYI - we only use GrayWolf IAQ equipment imported from the manufacturer in the USA and calibrated annually back in the country of origin.

Cheers...

Oh dear, the Thailand bashers and haters aren't going to like that!

I must admit, the silence has been deafening since I put that post up over 4 hours ago.

I guess the whole factual element of the post has sent most of them off to their bar stool scratching their heads.

[Alration]

We operate a business that entails measuring the most popular IAQ-related outdoor air contaminants (TVOCs, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate PM2.5 and PM10, Ozone and Formaldehyde) to compare against levels recorded inside buildings. Reason we measure the outside air is to see how well a building's 'envelope' copes with the filtration of these outdoor air contaminants (and to see if any contaminants are being generated by anything contained within the building's interior).

I am constantly surprised when we collect the measurements and collate them. I am currently working on an IAQ assessment we recently completed on Sukhumvit Soi 31 and ALL the above contaminants score in the "Good" or "Excellent" Class as determined by the Hong Kong and Singapore Government Environmental Departments. We don't use the Thai parameters as we (and our clients!) trust those two government's perceptions of IAQ over those issued by the Thai bodies.

FYI - we only use GrayWolf IAQ equipment imported from the manufacturer in the USA and calibrated annually back in the country of origin.

Cheers...

Oh dear, the Thailand bashers and haters aren't going to like that!

I must admit, the silence has been deafening since I put that post up over 4 hours ago.

I guess the whole factual element of the post has sent most of them off to their bar stool scratching their heads.

Those of them that refuse to accept anything positive about Thailand, even when there is evidence, will be back when they think you're not looking. Right now they're probably conducting some scientific analysis involving dirty cars, odours and wind. Stand by.

[chiang mai]

Survey done by whom, DOT Property, trying to sell Thailand property, right! In August no less, come back and do it again in March!!!

Wrong!

DOT Property did not do the survey. "Nature" published the research, Airport Parking And Hotels put the report together, DOT just wrote about it.

What difference would doing the report in March have made?

This time of the year in Thailand typically has the cleanest air of the year, temperatures are lower, there is no inversion layer and there is no burning. Come February the burning season will be in full swing in Thailand and the surrounding countries, Myanmar in particular, at that time the PM10 number will soar from a very pleasant 30 or so currently, up to as high as 300 or 350 or higher as farmers and hill tribes burn/clear the land for planting. Watch the numbers from February through May.

Edited November 25, 2015 by chiang mai

[siam2007]

The smell is awful I just can't believe the air quality is better in Bangkok than in a small city like Amsterdam , sorry this is not a reliable research.

If you don't like the result of a research, it "is not a reliable research", right ?

Guess you already adopted too much "Thainess" ;-)

[taony]

Allergies are not relevant.

This is the filter of my mask after riding through Bangkok for four hours or so.

[simonphuket]

Serious question, I think we can all agree that most vehicles here emit more exhaust than in Europe with its strict regulations, catalyst converters and so. Sure many taxis use LPG, but so in Amsterdam. If the research is correct, one can only conclude that all these eco-regulations, eco-tax and what all, are worth nothing, and do not contribute at all to a cleaner environment. Or am I missing something?

[simonphuket]

http://www.numbeo.com/pollution/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Netherlands&city1=Amsterdam&country2=Thailand&city2=Bangkok

[SoiBiker]

You mean the strict regulations that the manufacturers were cheating to bypass?

[Oceanbat]

I believe it. Their air here is much better than HK or Singapore. They are comparing major cities after all. The only thing that gets me here is the buses but I think the topography of BKK means the pollution isn't trapped like a lot of cities.

OB