Smoke, Smog, Dust 2016-2017 Chiang Mai

[Tywais]

Looking at last year's topic, 2015, the discussion started around March 24 that it was becoming better but it also rained some during the last of the month. Also the last time I posted a fire map for the season. But around April 5th, complaints of fires and smoke again. Further on around May 10th reports of large fires and smoke. Around May 15th were the final reports. In the rain topic, appears the rains started in earnest around May 20th.

April 26

[Konini]

Strange about Doi Sutep being clearer, I can't see it at all now. Mr K has taken to bed, which is most unusual. He has the worst cough and his chest hurts and his sinuses are clearly infected, his nose is almost black. I've brought in the big guns in antibiotcs which will hopefully clear it up; I think it's just the general build up for the last few weeks that has finally gotten to him. I'm going to arrange out annual jolly to England straight after Songkran next year instead of the end of May. It'll be colder, but at least the air is clean.

We're escaping to Malaysia for a couple of days at the weekend and I'm hoping that, and the antibiotics, will do their thing or the flight to England will be a nightmare for him.

Perhaps we should start thinking about organising one of those witches and druids type rain dances. I can do a good Stevie Nicks impersonation when I've had enough to drink

[chiang mai]

So relative to historical terms the rain is only one week late, at this point - there's still hope.

[Awk]

Strange about Doi Sutep being clearer, I can't see it at all now. Mr K has taken to bed, which is most unusual. He has the worst cough and his chest hurts and his sinuses are clearly infected, his nose is almost black. I've brought in the big guns in antibiotcs which will hopefully clear it up; I think it's just the general build up for the last few weeks that has finally gotten to him. I'm going to arrange out annual jolly to England straight after Songkran next year instead of the end of May. It'll be colder, but at least the air is clean.

We're escaping to Malaysia for a couple of days at the weekend and I'm hoping that, and the antibiotics, will do their thing or the flight to England will be a nightmare for him.

Perhaps we should start thinking about organising one of those witches and druids type rain dances. I can do a good Stevie Nicks impersonation when I've had enough to drink

Why don't you just buy an air purifier and at least run it in the bedroom?

Payed around 5,000B at Home Pro for a Hatari air purifier mentioned in some other thread here. Been thinking about doing a small comparison of it versus a considerable more expensive Blueair 650E air purifier I also have, but haven't got around to that yet.

In any case, the Hatari does seem to help a bit according to some quick and uncontrolled measurements I did, and at 5,000B, is not the biggest investment. So, just get an air purifier. I've turned off the ionization and plasma features on the Hatari, as I'm not sure how healthy those features are (if it was a Blueair or similar company, I'd leave them on and trust that whatever ozone escaped outside was of a small enough quantity to not be harmful, but for cheaper things from China, I'm less sure).

[Konini]

Thank you, I hadn't thought of that. We had 2 back home, left them with one of our friends in case we ever went back because they were expensive, Panasonic and about $300 each with big HEPA filters Mr K would take into work and blow out with compressed air to clean. Friends have moved house and can't find them, shame really, big, but small enough to get both into a reasonable sized suitcase and not very heavy.

I don't know anything about plasma, but I know that the ioniser is quite good for most people. I urge you to look it up. In Germany, some hospitals have rooms with benches that can fit up to 20 people with mega amounts of ions (negative I think) coming from a big generator. They stay in there for an hour or so. The effect is likened to when you are near a waterfall or standing on a bridge near water with a strong breeze blowing, the negative (?) ions have the same kind of effect. It does attract dust though, I was continually cleaning very visible dust from the walls close to the appliance. As do the salt crystal lamps. I got one years and years ago for decorative purposes, not for the mumbo jumbo, and it did the same thing - dust up the walls directly behind the lamp. And I mean a lot of dust, so maybe not mumbo jumbo after all.

Please do some research on the ions though. I personally know (not 2nd hand) a woman who's 12 year old son was getting killer migraines, she was advised to get an ioniser, the air purifier's weren't a thing back then and she had to order it from US. It looked like a tacky welded up box that a 1st year apprentice would make as practice, but placed at his bedside table and left on all night, it stopped the migraines. Her husband was sceptical about mumbo jumbo which-craft type things and turned it off for a couple of nights without any knowing to prove that it was a placebo effect. The migraines came back after 2 nights without it turned on, and disappeared again when turned back on. Could be just a co-incidence, I used to be a paid up member of the Sceptic's Society, I'm not easily taken in, but I knew this woman's son's migraines stopped, and I knew I got a line of dust up the wall with the air purifier just the same as I had as a teenager with the salt lamp. I believe you have to be quite close to the source of ions for it to be of any good, can't remember if it's 3 feet or 3 metres. (You can tell I am of a age when UK was turning over from imperial to decimal measurements and weights.)

Off to Lazada I go.

[vivid]

Konini, biomass haze does cause migranes/headaches. Actually air pollution in general does for some people.

I know, i am very much affected by headaches. Not so much for cough/running nose, even though i am an allergic rhinitis sufferer (dust mite droppings is the allergen).

Just half a day or so of > 50 ug/m3 and that's it, i am taking paracetamol.

At higher concentrations like 100+ ug/m3, i'd just need an hour or 2 of full exposure outside, that's it.

No need 24hrs, "short term exposures" as they'd term it, like they use for health advisories with the AQI system.

Edit - you can leave the ioniser off. Most of the not-so-branded models do release over the limit levels of ozone. The thing that is doing the work is the HEPA filter in the air purifier. H13, H12, H11, H10.....electrostatic furnace filters, they all work. Just have to spec the appropriate CADR airflow to your room. Generally about 3X air changes per hour is cool for haze, assuming a not very leaky room. For the really allergic folks, you'd wanna do 5 times ACH, or even 8-10 ACH.

Edited April 26, 2016 by vivid

[vivid]

http://https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/extraordinary-heat-wave-sweeps-southeast-asia-and-points-beyond

Extraordinary Heat Wave Sweeps Southeast Asia and Points Beyond

Extraordinary Heat Wave Sweeps Southeast Asia and Points Beyond

What is most likely the most intense heat wave ever observed in Southeast Asia has been ongoing for the past several weeks. All-time national heat records have been observed in Cambodia, Laos, and (almost) in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Meanwhile extreme heat has resulted in all-time record high temperatures in the Maldives, India, China, and portions of Africa as well. Here are the details.

Southeast Asia

We all assumed that the strong El Nino this year would result in drought and high temperatures in Southeast Asia. It seems that although El Nino didn’t work out so well for California (precipitation–wise) the expected impact of the system over performed in Southeast Asia where all-time heat records have been broken and a withering drought is in progress. Maximiliano Herrera, the foremost climatologist investigating world temperature records, has provided the following statistics. These figures are confirmed by the respective meteorological agencies that maintain their countries climate data.

Cambodia

National all-time record high of 42.6°C (108.7°F) set at Preah Vihea on April 15th. This surpassed the record set just two days previously at Bantey Ampil (42.2°C/108.0°F on April 13th). Prior to this year, the maximum measured temperature in Cambodia was 41.4°C (106.5°F) at Stoeng Treng in 1960. The capital city of Phnom Penh also measured its highest temperature on record with a 41.0°C (105.8°F) reading and about half a dozen other cities and towns saw temperatures peak above the previous national record of 1960!

Laos

National all-time record high of 42.3°C (108.1°F) set at Seno on April 13th. This surpassed the former record of 42.0°C (107.6°F) record at Savannakhet in March 1933. An all-time national record high minimum temperature was measured at Takhek on April 13th when the low fell to only 30.5°C (86.9°F).

Thailand

Near national record achieved at Sukhothai on April 12th with a 44.3°C (111.7°F) reading just shy of the record 44.5°C (112.1°F) observed at Uttaradit on April 27, 1960. In addition to Sukhothai at least 50 Thai towns and cities broke or tied their all-time record maximum temperatures (including the normally temperate island resort of Ko Samui with a 38.0°C/100.4°F reading). The minimum of 31.4°C (88.5°F) at Sakhon Nakon on April 15th was likely the warmest low ever measured in the country outside of the Bangkok metropolitan area.

Weather data for the past month at the ancient Thai capital city of Sukhothai. Note that every day since April 2nd has exceeded 100°F (37.8°C) and nine consecutive days above 41.7°C (107.1°F) so far this month. The normal daily high for this time of the year is around 36.5°C (97.7°F). Table from OGIMET.

Malaysia

Near national record of 39.2°C (102.6F) measured at Batu Embun on April 10th (the hottest temperature ever measured in central Malaysia). The all-time Malaysian record is 40.1°C (104.2°F) at Chuping on April 9, 1998. In March this year Chuping reached 39.5°C (103.1°F).

Singapore

Near national record set in Singapore with a 36.6°C (97.9°F) at Pulau on April 13th. Record for the city-state is 37.0°C (98.6°F) at Tengah on April 17, 1983.

Myanmar

Unfortunately, recent weather data from Myanmar has been sketchy at best, although at least one city, Dawei, has broken its all-time heat record with a 39.0°C (102.2°F) reading. There have been several 46.0°C (114.8°F) reports but it is not known at this time if these were the actual daily maximums. The all-time heat record for Myanmar is 47.2°C (117.0°F) at Myinmu on May 14, 2010 (the beginning of one of Asia’s greatest heat waves).

Vietnam

The real story for Vietnam has been the historic drought (said to be the worst in 100 years) that has impacted the fertile Mekong Delta region (and also the rest of mainland Southeast Asia). So far the warmest temperature measured in the country has been 41.8°C (107.2°F) at Tuong Duong on April 15th. The same site holds Vietnam’s all-time heat record of 42.7°C (108.9°F) set on May 12, 1966.

A Drought Risk Index map of the Mekong River Basin. The areas in red are those that have been most impacted by the El Nino-driven drought that is occurring now in the region. Map produced by FutureWater (a research and consultancy firm specializing in drought issues).

Philippines

Mindanao Island observed its highest temperature on record at General Santos with a 39.4°C (102.9°F) reading on April 16th. This is a long way from the national record of 42.2°C (108.0°F) set at Tuguegarao in April, 1912 and May 1969, but is indicative of how far east the heat progressed.

All in all, the on-going heat wave is easily the most intense such to affect Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia since at least 1960 and probably even more so.

Heat Waves outside Southeast Asia this April

Although the heat wave in Southeast Asia deserves the closest attention, all-time national heat records have also been set for the Maldives Islands, India, China and in Africa. China’s southernmost province of Hainan (Island) saw several sites breaking all-time heat records with the warmest being Danxian with a 40.5°C (104.9°F) reading on April 16th. In India the city of Kozhikode (Calicut), located on the usually temperate coastline of Kerala State (southeastern India) saw its temperature peak at a record 39.1°C (102.4°F) smashing its previous record high of 37.2°C (99.0°F). Astonishingly, this former record has been broken 35 times so far this year and counting! The POR at Kozhikode goes back to the 1870s. Temperatures in the normally hotter locations in India have reached as high as 46.0°C (114.8°F) so far (at Sundargarh and Bankura on April 16th).

UPDATE April 24th The city of Titlagarh measured 48.5°C (119.3°F) on April 24th. This is the highest reliably measured temperature in India for the month of April. In addition, Bangalore recorded its all-time hottest temperature on record with a 39.2°C (102.6°F) reading beating out its previous record of 38.9°C (102.0°F) observed on May 22, 1931. The city has a very long POR and rests at some 900m (3300') above sea level. It is also well known as the 'Silicon Valley' of India. Expect to see many more heat records broken in India as it approaches its normally hottest month of May. The hottest reliably measured temperature in India on record is 50.6°C (123.1°F) at Pachpadra, Rajastan on May 25, 1886.

In the Maldives a national record high of 34.9°C (94.8°F) was observed at Hanimadhoo on April 16th edging out the previous record of 34.8° (94.6°F) set at Kadhdhoo on March 27, 1999. In Africa Burkina Faso set its all-time national record high with a 47.5°C (117.5°F) temperature on April 13th. The previous record was 47.2°C (117.0°F) at the same site on May 13, 1984. In Guinea Bissau a new national record may have been set on April 12th at Bafata when the temperature at one point in the day reached at least 43.2°C (109.8°F) before the station shut down (so the actual daily maximum is not known). The record for the country stands at 43.6°C (110.5°F) at Bafata on March 18, 1969. This was just one of a series of frustrating weather station failures over the past several months where near-national record highs may have been obtained but the daily data remained incomplete.

The heat waves are still in progress and more records over at least the next month are likely.

[Konini]

That doesn't make for good bedtime reading, does it?

(Thank you Vivid for supplying all of this information. Even the uneducated in this field can understand most of it.)

I thought escaping to KL this weekend was going to be a good thing, possibly not and we'll have to use the aircon in the hotel room, which I'd rather not as who knows when the last time the filters were cleaned. Why don't mid range hotels have a fan as well as air con? That's something that has annoyed me for years. Not everybody wants aircon. With my husband's problems, we'd much rather leave the windows open at night when it cools down and have an osculating fan.

Roll on 28th May when we go to England for 4 or 5 weeks, unless it rains very soon. May be something to do with being a woman of a certain age, who knows, but this year the heat has bothered me more than ever before, and we lived in Melbourne for a long time without aircon, where the temps get much higher than here.

I have a cheap evaporative cooler on the way - pointed directly at me, it will either work or it won't, for less than 3,000 baht it's worth a try, but at least it won't make my poor little baby suffer more than he is already as refrigerated air makes him very, vert sick. It also gives him an excuse never to go to shopping malls - I find the clothes and either buy them or if I'm not sure get him to do a quick trip to a particular store, in a particular section of it so he's not in there for very long. Flying is something we can't avoid, he is always quite ill for days after a flight of more than 3 hours, and we go to England every year to see our families and Australia every year to keep us legal, but since that last operation, at least he rarely gets nosebleed on planes. I've even looked into cruise ships - you can get some great last minute deals, but the cabins all have air con, usually it can't be controlled individually in the cabins. And yes, I've asked them.

I'll put up with the heat in the meantime, it makes me grumpy and a bit snarky and snappy, whereas refrigerated or the dry cycle on the air conditioner makes him really, really ill. 3 operations, and nothing has fixed him completely. At least the last operation stopped the at least once daily nosebleeds, and meant that he could drive over the Pennines from Manchester airport to South Yorkshire without having a nosebleed when he reached the top of the hill at Pennistone. Every single time. His nose looks like someone has punched him, swollen, black and black under his eyes. I have had my share of chronic illnesses, but can't begin to imagine what it's like for him. Every day. Forever. Poor baby, I wish I could fix it. When we first met, 36 years ago, I thought he was some kind of bovver boy and had been in a fight, so I wasn't sure I wanted anything to do with him. He's never been in a fight in his life. Just his sinus problems. I'm glad common sense got the better of me though. I just wish I could fix him, but I stand by and hopelessly watch him suffer.

Such is life, eh?

[blueyeshk]

https://www.change.org/p/หยุดฝุ่นควันในภาคเหนือ-ภาคเอกชนนําโดยซีพี-pr-cp-ออกมาประกาศจุดยืนแสดงความรับผิดชอบ?source_location=search_index&algorithm=curated_trending&grid_position=2

[ammagic]

You need to get out of Chiangmai - been there done that - sinus surgery constant headaches & sinus infections. Gave up & moved to Hua Hin & finally after a few months SO much better. No more allergy meds - although religiously do saline sinus rinses morning & night. And no more headaches. The dust in the air in C M made it impossible for me to continue living there. Sinusitis is dreadful - you feel like death all the time. I miss many aspects of C M but can't imagine living in that bad air again. Good luck!

[daoyai]

Konini ... ANTIBIOTICS ? are you Thai? but seriously, does your old man have a bacterial infection? That is the one and only use for this class of drugs.

[Konini]

Been diagnosed with it several (dozens) of times back home and I keep up with my GP by email to ask her if there is a newer shinier model to try. Same symptoms as every time he's been diagnosed, black nose, panda eyes. Infected. And the antibiotics clear it up every time. He is one of those people who doesn't like to take any kind of medication (if I even think I have a headache coming I take a couple of paracetamol), particularly antibiotics, but he knows when it's time to back down and take the monster doses of Augmentim.

[blueyeshk]

Looks like the Day got potential to become high up in the ranking of bad days this month in Mae Hong son all covered in thick smoke

[Konini]

This morning, same as yesterday. Early (before 6am) I could just see the outline of Doi Sutep. For the last hour at least, totally invisible.

[Tywais]

Looks like the Day got potential to become high up in the ranking of bad days this month in Mae Hong son all covered in thick smoke

[tyznd]

Nearly into May and the air pollution is still raging on. Anyone planning to move to Chiang Mai long term should rethink their plans. Anyone already here should consider relocating before next year and it starts all over again. Here's an excellent article explaining just how bad air pollution is to your health.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/30/air-pollution-health-effects.aspx?utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20160330Z3&et_cid=DM101629&et_rid=1420739090

[blueyeshk]

Looks like the Day got potential to become high up in the ranking of bad days this month in Mae Hong son all covered in thick smoke

Capture.JPG

Thank you for the Chart but I personally decided not be to confident with all the readings provided I trust my senses more than these numbers to judge the situation. In the end everybody have to decide based on their feelings if these living conditions are suitable or not to feel well.

[ogb]

 

Nearly into May and the air pollution is still raging on. Anyone planning to move to Chiang Mai long term should rethink their plans. Anyone already here should consider relocating before next year and it starts all over again. Here's an excellent article explaining just how bad air pollution is to your health.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/30/air-pollution-health-effects.aspx?utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20160330Z3&et_cid=DM101629&et_rid=1420739090

Yes, this year should be a make or break decision year, especially for anyone with children.

At 5am on 28th April the current 24hr average for PM2.5 is 115 from the Si Phum monitoring station - that is very unhealthy!

[puukao]

for me, there were long-term negative effects of the pollution. nothing life changing, but my respiratory system was never the same since Thailand. sort of like picking up another allergy....but when you cough up all this white liquid.....well, that's not fun.

if you have any kids and can afford to leave, it's a no-brainer this time of year....same with anyone, actually.

i wore 3M masks i brought from America, but had to go to the hospital.....

i'll still return, but please take this seriously...

[Konini]

Obg is correct. This morning is certainly worse - no mountain at all and it seems that even though we have a fly screen/security door and all windows and doors left open all night, the condo was a bit stuffy and hadn't cooled down very much at all overnight. All ceiling and extractor fans are on now trying to pull some of that hot air out.

(Extractor fans, as I learned when we lived in Melbourne, can be your best friend when it's a not night).

[blueyeshk]

Horrible conditions- no chances taken I am out of here again this will ruin the past 2 month Bali holiday. Flights booked see ya in August

[vivid]

75t Nan province is also getting smoked. PM2.5

36t Chiang Mai sustained levels as well.

[Cheesekraft]

nope. not living here next year. Nor would anyone who gives a care about their health, or their families health.

[laolover88]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Thinking-big-about-haze-30284833.html

I am no expert on smoke and haze; but wonder about this?

[Konini]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Thinking-big-about-haze-30284833.html

I am no expert on smoke and haze; but wonder about this?

What a well written article. I urge anyone who hasn't to click the link and read it. If the facts are correct, and it's too hot for me to do any kind of checking, this could be a good all-round solution.

If not, with so many governments eyeing off Portugal's decriminalising of all drugs, hopefully soon there will be a few more, perhaps bigger countries decriminalising them too, legal, regulated and taxed supply-chain. I'm sure this haze problem wasn't a thing when opium was the crop of choice for mountain farmers, perhaps one day it could be again.

Anyway, I've been quite annoyed at CP in the past - sure, this could very well work out perfectly for their bottom line, perhaps they wouldn't be doing it unless there was going to be some benefit to them - but I have to take my hat of to them on this initiative. And if the facts are correct good on the writer of the article.

[vivid]

[blueyeshk]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Thinking-big-about-haze-30284833.html

I am no expert on smoke and haze; but wonder about this?

Of course CP is not solely responsible it's a potpourri of reasons-Tradition, education, profiting, carelessly, crime,culture, politics, poverty, ignorance, absence of technology, corruption. You choose and name it.

[blueyeshk]

The number and chart nerds are very quite or did they realize the look out of the window doesn't match with the charts ?

[vivid]

The number and chart nerds are very quite or did they realize the look out of the window doesn't match with the charts ?

Bro! I'm in Singapore (i live there actually).

So i don't have a visual reference, and besides if it just rained then it's gonna look visually bad since moisture causes the particulate particles to expand. Last year over here, that happened. Same AQI but visibility could be 2km or 5km.

Also due to some brief periods of rain, the 1-hr AQI could just be 150+, but it would stink like there is no tomorrow, worse than AQI 500+. Happened once last year, spooked the hell out of people then with no access to such info but "just relied on smell".

Let me know check man.....

Seems to be around there. I think there could be more local burning, since the PM10 is pulling ahead?

[chiang mai]

Looking out my windows: Just North of Chiang Mai: some high winds, cooler temps. and a poor attempt at rain that didn't materialize, up until 2pm or so there was still a small of burning in the air and visibility was/is very poor.