Air quality in Thai Nguyen

What is the air quality index of Thanh Pho Thai Nguyen?

Thanh Pho Thai Nguyen is a city in northern Vietnam. It is the largest city in the province of the same name and is also its capital. In 2018 it had a population of 420,000 people. In 1959 it opened the first steel mill in Vietnam.

In December 2020, the quality of air here was classed as “Unhealthy” with a US AQI figure of 160 and a PM2.5 concentration of 73.2 µg/m³. The recommended level as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is less than 10 µg/m³. With figures such as these, it is strongly recommended that a good quality face mask is worn when outside and doors and windows should be kept closed to prevent the dirty air entering the house. Outdoor exercise should be avoided until the air quality improves.

Why Thanh Pho Thai Nguyen is polluted?

Coal transportation of Nui Hong Coal Company to Cao Ngan Thermal Power Plant in Quan Trieu Ward (Thai Nguyen City) is now also a place that is heavily polluted with dust and noise which are well in excess of the acceptable standards. The monitoring system highlighted that the level had risen from between 1.1 to 1.5 times. The reason is that the roller system, the vacuum cleaner system at the junctions on these conveyor belts have deteriorated and the roof is damaged. After the authorities intervened, the owners took action to repair, upgrade, and reinforce the conveyor floor, but the dust and noise continued which affected the environment and lives of thousands of people living nearby.

The processing of limestone at Nui Voi Quarry was established nearly 50 years ago, with the purpose of using the quarry's material to calcine and supply the Iron and Steel Factory. Initially, the facility had 5 manual lime kilns built of bricks. Since then, the lime kilns have not been updated with new, modern technology, causing smoke, dust and noise pollution.

Is air pollution in Thanh Pho Thai Nguyen getting worse?

The studies on climate science and the global climate monitoring system (GCOS) have shown that industrial activities emit many types of greenhouse gases. Iron and steel production use natural resources such as iron ore, coal, limestone and natural gas and produces electricity from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) which create a large amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Thanh Pho Thai Nguyen is the cradle of the country's metallurgical industry with dozens of large and small iron and steel production facilities in the area. Many metallurgical plants which polluted the environment had to stop production because of the harsh reactions of the people with regards to the amount of air pollution they were generating. Because of this, the owners of metallurgical facilities in the province have started to pay more attention and take responsibility for the environment.

What can be done to improve the air quality in Thanh Pho Thai Nguyen?

Thai Nguyen province now regularly inspects the industrial zones to identify and resolve "hot spots" on environmental pollution caused by mining and industrial production. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment of the province strengthened the inspection and monitoring of wastewater and exhaust gases periodically at large industrial establishments and closely supervised the implementation of assessment reports. They assess the environmental impact of enterprises and coordinate with agencies to resolutely sanction acts that cause environmental pollution. This leads to the suspension of the operation of enterprises which cause serious and prolonged environmental pollution.

In recent years, the Vietnamese steel industry and other industries have piloted the "Energy Efficiency Audit and Energy Audit Programme" in several iron and steel production facilities (Iron and Steel Joint Stock Company), Thai Nguyen (TISCO) and Da Nang steel). The overall goal is sustainable production, reducing GHG emissions, innovating technological equipment, altering production methods to improve the efficiency of each steel factory in Vietnam.

The emission of pollutant gases in iron and steel production through the stages of calcination, sintering, and melting of raw materials to create cast iron, casting cast iron and rolling all of which creates 4 types of waste, such as water, gas, dust and solid waste with different levels of pollution. The result not only produces the desired cast iron but also emits emissions, of which carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the greatest.

What are the effects on health through breathing in Thanh Pho Thai Nguyen’s polluted air?

Even young, strong healthy people can suffer from the effects of badly polluted air. The severity of it depends on several factors such as the length of exposure and the concentration of the various particles within the air. And also to the state of your own health.

High levels of air pollution can cause immediate health problems such as aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. The heart and lungs become stressed which means they have to work harder to supply the level of oxygen needed by the body. Cells in the respiratory system can soon become damaged, some irreparably so.

Constant, long-term exposure can accelerate the ageing of the lungs thus losing capacity and suffering from a decrease in functionality. Diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly cancer can develop due to the exposure to the microscopic PM2.5 particles. It can also lead to a shortened lifespan.

The PM2.5 particles are particularly deadly because of their small size. They can easily bypass the body’s natural defence system and enter the lungs, travelling as far as the base of the bronchial tubes and into the alveoli. These are the small air sacs which expand to take in oxygen and contract to exhale carbon dioxide (CO₂). There are roughly 4.8 million of them in the average full-grown human. So many are needed to process the huge amount of air involved in breathing and getting oxygen into the lungs. On average the lungs take in between 5 to 8 litres of air per minute whilst the body is at rest. This figure rises sharply when the body is exercising.

Several groups of people are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution than others. These can include people with heart disease, coronary artery disease or other pre-existing respiratory problems, pregnant women, children under the age of 14 years, senior citizens and those whose job means they must work outside.