A breath of fresh air in Thailand? Forget it!
Anyone who goes to Thailand for a breath of fresh air will come home from a rude awakening. The quality of the air is terrible in many places. In short: unhealthy. Not only Bangkok plays a role in that context, many tourist places keep their mouths shut, for fear of scaring off tourists. Just look at Hua Hin (and also Pattaya).
Get the AQI (Air Quality Index) app on your phone and then decide where you're going (or want to live). The app has thousands of measuring points all over the world, so you can always see whether an attack is being made on your health on the spot.
Every day the Bangkok Post is full of stories and pictures about how bad the air is in the capital. Or the world ends at the city limits. However, the air does not care about that. As usual, the (freight) traffic gets the blame and the lack of wind. Some water is sprayed from high buildings, the police stop a few trucks spewing black smoke and advise wearing a face mask. That's about it then.
Not a letter about the problems in the rest of the country and they are not wrong. Hua Hin and Pattaya are of course considered clean, because these places are located on the sea.
Well, forget it. Hua Hin has two measuring points that indicate 140 (unhealthy for sensitive people) and 159 (unhealthy for everyone) on Sunday afternoon. The amount of particulate matter (2,5 micrograms per cubic meter) is then more than 70. For comparison: The maximum in the Netherlands is 25, while Thailand maintains a safe limit of 50). No improvement is expected in the coming week. From Hua Hin, the hills are shrouded in a gray haze. 'Sea fog' shouted a local expert. On my soles, is my answer.
Chonburi has about twenty measurement points, all of which are (well) above 150. Also not a nice place to spend a holiday with your children. Pattaya itself is at 157. In Bangkok of the same cloth, a pack with outliers up to 170. Not a single point measures below 150.
In Hua Hin, traffic cannot possibly be the culprit. That dubious honor goes to farmers who burn their sugar cane in the direction of Burma before it goes to the factory. Elsewhere, it concerns the burning of residues on rice fields.
It's illegal, but that's true of so many things in Thailand. It is about enforcement and the obligation to take strict action. The owner of almost every piece of land is known and it should be possible to fine him if he crosses the line. However, the government is waiting for the rain to come (end of May) and thinks: it will blow over. And that while the official 'fire season' has yet to start in March. Until then, rather go to provinces like Chayaphum (less than 60 everywhere) or even Udonthani.
Good advice: download AQI and buy a good face mask. Holding your breath is efficient, but not effective…
I have read that you will not die from the particulate matter, but there is an increased risk for high-risk groups of aggravating other conditions that are deadly.
From dr. Tino K. I understand that just one month a year as a holidaymaker in Thailand does not immediately pose a danger if people live in safe values afterwards.
To keep it simple, I would like to know if it is really all a problem. Smoking can give you lung cancer has now been demonstrated, but how and what about this pollution?
I'm going to get on dangerous ice here to say that I would like to know this for the people who are sane.
The whole of life was and is served by letting the strongest survive, so I'm curious to see how we really stand now.
You don't die from particulate matter, but from health damage caused by particulate matter. You don't die from smoking either, but from the consequences of long-term smoking.
What are the dangers of particulate matter?
Smog caused by particulate matter in the air can cause asthma attacks, shortness of breath and coughing, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). It is also bad for the heart and blood vessels. The damage to health is greater if the concentration of particulate matter is higher. Patients with asthma and other lung diseases are particularly vulnerable. Just like people with cardiovascular disease. In severe smog, young children, the elderly, people with diabetes, athletes and people who do heavy work in the open air also form risk groups. It is not known how many people die from the consequences. The RIVM estimates the number at 7.000 to 12.000 deaths per year. According to pulmonologists, particulate matter shortens the lives of the Dutch by 13 months.
Source NPO
Thanks for the info Peter.
Apparently there is nothing to prove at the moment and perhaps that is why there is less need to solve it.
I don't think 13 months in a human lifespan of 75+ is much for the accountants in charge of the cost/benefit picture.
Fortunately, you are slowly poisoned in Thailand… In the long term, this will play a major role for tourists. They will soon avoid Thailand like the plague.
It also plays a role for me. I would spend less winter in Thailand in Jan-Feb-Mar. I think you can only breathe easy after the rainy season in Thailand.
That was also my thought.
So if it were a problem, it would be to the credit of the NL government or other countries to give some kind of negative travel advice for the risk group.
If more countries bring this to the attention and therefore cause a lesser influx of tourists, a change may take place.
Peter refers to the annual number of deaths in the Netherlands. In Thailand the number is of course much higher. For comparison: in Amsterdam the AQI is currently (Sunday afternoon) at 39 and in Alkmaar even at 16. In The Hague and Rotterdam the Air Quality Index is at 45. Compared to 170 in Bangkok, Hua Hin and Pattaya, you can therefore Netherlands take a breather…
But it is also winter there now, but what is it normal in summer. If you go to Sisaket now you will have enough fresh air. You don't go to Paris, New York or Amsterdam for fresh air on vacation either.
Did a measurement a few times today in Pattaya: 57
Maybe a typo with 157
Think it's right. Rayong is 155. And that's deep in the red.
http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/chonburi/health-promotion-hospital-ban-khao-hin/
And near Apeldoorn 24 (Green)
I. Lagemaat, I really wish you were right. However, the reality is that it is really bad. The numbers are correct (unfortunately).
Measuring is knowing. The quality of the air varies greatly per location within an area or municipality. That 57 can therefore be correct, while 157 is also correct at the same time. Something else is the visibility of air pollution. That pollution can be invisible to the human eye. High humidity ('sea fog' for example) is usually very visible. The detested local expert may just be right. Sea fog without pollution is quite possible. Humidity and pollution are both easily measurable. And to measure is to know.
You sound like you don't give a shit and just spout criticism.
You have never or rarely heard of facts. Years ago, asbestos was harmless.
Walk into a hospital in Thailand and ask for a health test.
Many doctors also recommend a lung test, not to make money, but simply because there are a lot of people walking around with lung and breathing problems. Also on the coast.
So stop with soursops or come up with a substantiated answer.
Moderator: Who are you responding to?
I was replying to Johnny BG.
Dear Khan Tak,
I am in a position to report to the hospital every 2-3 months for a test to test my health.
So far never found any problem in terms of lung problems. As a worker unloading containers in the port, I can tell you that the air inside was full of particulate matter. Very good to see when the sun shone into the shed.
99,9% of people don't know this phenomenon to experience it at work, but K. Tak knows how it works.
And that sourpuss… I know a place where it can be inserted.
You rely too much on yourself.
My great-grandmother smoked 3 cigars a week and drank a gin every day.
She lived to the respectable age of 95 and was rarely sick.
Is that material for comparison with all great-grandmothers in the Netherlands?
Do not think so..
In my opinion, negative travel advice for risk groups alone is insufficient.
It is not healthy for anyone to go on holiday or live in Thailand where the air is so polluting.
But everyone has the freedom to choose that anyway.
Here in Pattaya it is terrible, from the Beach Road to the 3 Road the traffic is at a standstill all day long with roaring diesel cars. So the entire center of Pattaya. This has never happened before and at times it is unbearable to stand still in traffic with your scooter or walk past. If you want to have a nice drink, you are almost gassed by the traffic.
Fine?
Last week I drove from Hua Hin to Pattaya. On the national highway No. 7 between Suvarnabhumi and Pattaya, the roadsides were burned down in several places, yes, by government personnel.
The easiest way is simply chosen, regardless of the consequences.
Its a shame, but there is nothing to do about it…
Particulate matter is very harmful to the health of people who already suffer from lung diseases and for everyone if the average values are high over a long period. Traffic and industry contribute to the level of particulate matter, but it is mainly the combustion on agricultural land that is responsible for more than 50 percent of the high values, also in Bangkok. Particulate matter from combustion can be transported over distances of up to 200 km. In addition, atmospheric phenomena play a role. During this time, the air remains at a low level and does not spread upwards.
The government will have to assist farmers financially in order to dispose of their harvest residues otherwise.
Have they ever heard of plowing? Also improves the structure of the soil. Right after harvesting.
It is indeed very bad and angry with the air quality in Thailand.
Personally, I would really appreciate it if the Thai government would go much more on the tour of enforcement and collect fines and/or bans respectively.
However, what I can't quite place are the huge differences in values between the AQI app and the Air4Thai app.
The first indicates a PM2.5 value for Pattaya of over 150, while the second app indicates the value of “only” 2….!!!!!!
Despite the fact that both values are incredibly unhealthy, it is a mystery to me why the values between the apps mentioned are so large.???
The AQI is an index consisting of several negative substances. One of them is the amount of particulate matter in ug/m cubic..
The index is currently at 162. For Pattaya, containing 76 ug of particulate matter... (the particulate matter content is 1/4 to 1/2 of the index.
The European max standard is up. 25…You can see this value by pressing Pattaya in the app, and then scrolling down.
My own tester gives. 68 ug again, in Jomtien, on the Dongtang. Where there is almost no traffic. So very little difference with Pattaya.
All department stores are currently selling air purifiers like hot cakes….
In my bedroom I currently only have 7ug through this filter.
Also go outside as little as possible, and always wear a GOOD mouth mask.
Also note that many more people have been coughing for a few days….and have little breath.
The air here is more bearable than in BKK, but certainly not better.
Dear Yubi,
Thank you for your clear explanation.
Could you indicate which air purifier you use.
Are these filters low noise..??
I have 3 air monitors, one outside, one in the living room and one in the bedroom, you're in for a fright, both indoors and outdoors the PM2.5 (particulate matter) can rise to more than 200, but also TVOC and CO2 are currently going through the top here in Lampang province.
There is an air purifier in the living room and also in the bedroom, which can handle it reasonably well in the bedroom, for the living room I actually need 2 to keep the fine dust within limits.
I think the risk of lung cancer from pollution in Thailand is greater than a pack of caballero a day.
When I look at AQI in Google play I see many different apps, which one works well in Thailand?
I recently moved to Khonkaen and it strikes me that many people wear a face mask.
.
I have had IQAIr AirVisual on my smartphone for some time now. At a glance you get an overview of all places that interest you, with the forecast. Currently, almost all major Thai cities turn orange-red. Unhealthy to spend a long time in (without protection or filtering).
I recently saw a report about Ulaan Baatar (capital of Mongolia). Very cold there. Poor quality coal is brought in and brought in to heat the many hovels and meager houses. The younger generations flee the countryside and end up in slums. The index is there when I type message 198(!) .. Children get sick of the bad air. Burning fossil fuels certainly has an impact. In addition to drinking water, clean air will become a scarce resource for many countries in the near future.
ser kokke, please, :
* where are those monitors of yours available?
* do you live in an urbanization or along a public road?
* do you have a garden?
Thanks!
jlp
In Lampang, the air quality is particularly bad due to the large-scale burning of lignite for the power stations of Mae Moo. The emissions from lignite combustion are in addition to those from the combustion of agricultural residues, roadsides, household waste, transport, etc., which also occurs elsewhere in Thailand.
i just got back from pattaya and indeed a lot of smog from the cars incredulous but true, i often sat with a handkerchief in front of my nose in the tuktoek
I am in Nakhon Sawan and also using the app. reads 159 near where I'm staying but the rest of the city is below 80. So very different. I've been coughing badly for 3 weeks as well as my girlfriend. I'm thinking about going back to Thailand. so far I went 3x a year but with this air it's no fun. and I don't feel like it all day in a hotel room. bye bye Thailand, I've seen you enough now. So now again the Pacific next time. Fiji.Samoa etc.
Gee, I never really paid much attention to it. I've always lived by the sea most of my life. Now again in Jomtien. But the last few days the sky has been quite gray. Especially in the morning. Can't even see Ko Lan from my balcony anymore. And the last few days I've been having a lot of trouble with coughing and a thick throat, as they say. Mmmm, now I suddenly have to start wearing face masks and fill my apartment with air purifiers and no longer enjoy my balcony. Not happy to be enjoying my retirement like this. I'll take a look around and see where the air is better.
Paul
Could you please tell me which AQI I should have? There are a lot of them and I don't know which one is good?
All that my thanks,
Frederique
No personal experience with it. I've considered it in the past, but found it too expensive. After all, you only have the message, but no remedy.
I do have a BlueAir Classic 605 air purifier (I live in Belgium for the sake of clarity) and it filters pollen, dust, smoke, etc. from the ambient air and shows the air quality with an indicator (no AQI). Opening the window usually backfires and makes the purifier run at full power. Keep windows closed (especially in pollen season) and let the thing do its job. The device works with replaceable HEPA filters.
https://www.evehome.com/en/eve-room
https://www.sylvane.com/blog/five-best-indoor-air-quality-apps/
(no affiliation)
There are plenty of apps and websites for outdoor use.
Bought me a tester so that I can measure it on site.Currently 68 in Na Jomtien.
What surprises me is that if I blow the smoke of 1 puff of my cigarette into it, it immediately rises to 400.
tie to 15 puffs per cigarette and 40 pieces per day I still get something, and this for 35 years, if it was that bad then I wouldn't have been there for a long time.... Don't get me wrong, it's definitely unhealthy but I can't believe it give the impression that they are exaggerating a bit in Europe.
Could the amount of particulate matter, etc., not come from the volcanic eruption in the Philippines and the forest fires in Australia?
Here, in the south, it's not that bad.
If I look at airvisual.com, it's ok from Chumpon.
In Mueang Phuket it is – with 38 – even lower than Utrecht (59).
It seems to depend mainly on the wind direction, with a northerly wind the values will shoot up here; then we get the junk out of BKK.