Air quality in Phatthana Nikhom

What is the quality of air like in Phatthana Nikhom?

Phatthana Nikhom is a city located in Lopburi province, an area found in the central region of Thailand. The district in which the city finds itself was created in more recent times, having been put together in the mid 1900’s. Nowadays it finds itself as a relatively popular tourist destination, thanks in part to the large amounts of sunflowers that grow in the winter months, making for many picturesque surroundings. Whilst this is a great way to aid the economy of the city, it can bring with it a few negative side effects, particularly when it comes to air quality, as with an increase in tourists comes an increase in the use of vehicles, as well as an increase in hotels and guesthouses, the subsequent construction of which can also lead to spikes in pollution.

In the early portion of 2021, Phatthana Nikhom was recorded with PM2.5 levels coming in as high as 53.7 μg/m³, a less than appreciable reading that would put it during that particular time into the higher end of the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ bracket, one that requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 35.5 to 55.4 μg/m³ to be classified as such. This shows that it was only a few units away from being moved up into the ‘unhealthy’ ratings category, and whilst there were readings that came in on the lower end, with readings as low as 28.2 μg/m³ being taken on the same day, it stands to reason that the city is subject to some fairly bad pollution levels, at least during the beginning period of the year, which of note is when many cities in Thailand also suffer from harsher pollution levels for a number of reasons.

What are the main causes of pollution in Phatthana Nikhom?

As touched on previously, one of the contributing factors to the air pollution in the city would be that of vehicular pollution. There would be numerous personal vehicles in use, such as cars and motorbikes, all of which would be making their daily commutes for locals, transporting them in and out of the city. Many times, these vehicles are running on older or badly aged engines, which can aid in the output of pollution due to poor combustion taking place and large amounts of oil vapors and pollutants escaping that would not occur in a newer, or less ancient models. There would also be heavy duty vehicles to consider, with trucks, lorries and buses all falling into this category, many of which run on diesel fuels that put out their own pollutants.

Other sources of pollution would include open burn sites, as well as the burning of crop stubble fields or forestland for farming purposes, a practice known as slash and burn farming. Whilst this is highly illegal, it still continues to happen in many parts of Thailand unabated due to lack of proper enforcement. Construction sites, road repairs and factory or industrial area emissions would all contribute to the pollution levels as well, coming together to form the heightened levels witnessed at the beginning of 2021 (with the burning of crop fields being the biggest culprit in monthly spikes, whilst vehicles and factories contribute more to the year round ambient readings).

What are some health issues associated with pollution in Phatthana Nikhom?

During the more polluted times of the year, there would be a wider variety of health risks associated with the pollution. Of note is that any reading over the World Health Organizations (WHO's) target goal of 10 μg/m³ or less has the ability to cause adverse effects, with the higher the reading correlating directly with a heightened chance of these ill effects occurring, alongside the severity of them.

Some of these issues would be ones such as rapid aging of the lungs, as well as scarring of the lung tissue itself when too many caustic chemicals or fine particulate matter is inhaled. This can have a knock on effect of reducing full lung function, which in turn can cause individuals to suffer from further respiratory issues such as pneumonia, bronchitis and aggravated forms of asthma.

What are the main pollutants found in the air in Phatthana Nikhom?

With much of its pollution coming from cars and motorbikes, alongside other heavier vehicles, the main pollutants to emanate from these sources would be ones such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) as well as sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Black carbon would also be released in the form of soot, as well as from open burn sites or anywhere that sees combustion taking place, be it a factory plant or open burn site. Other chemicals include ones such as finely ground gravel and silica dust, as well as toxic metals like lead or mercury stemming from construction sites (as well as factories, with much of the pollutants they put out sharing many overlaps).

Open burn sites and factories can also release volatile organic compounds (VOC's), some of which include chemicals like benzene, toluene, xylene and methylene chloride. These are all extremely detrimental to human health, and are exceptionally easy to respire due to their volatile nature making them a gas even at lower temperatures.

What can Phatthana Nikhom do to improve its pollution levels?

As with many cities in Thailand, Phatthana Nikhom would see many benefits if it were to implement several effective measures in combatting pollution in its various forms. One of them would be the introduction of pollution or emission caps to industrial zones, factories or even businesses, with a restriction on how many chemicals or pollutants can be released into the air from said area. If these caps are breached, fines can be introduced, or threat of closure imposed on those responsible.

Other initiatives include ones such as dedicating more resources into the proper enforcement of crop field fires, due to the infamous and far reaching effect that forestland or field fires have on the environment, as well as the health of citizens or travelers who inhale the tainted air. These are a few measures that could be implemented in the ongoing task of cleaning up the air in Phatthana Nikhom, as well as many other cities throughout Thailand.