Air quality in Chom Thong

Does Chom Thong have a high level of air pollution?

The level of air pollution present in Chom Thong is one that has a sporadic nature, with certain months coming in with extremely clean levels of air quality, indicating that the atmosphere is free from many noxious fumes or pollutants and thus very safe to breathe. However, it also happens to be subject to the many pollution issues that cities and districts in the Northern region of Thailand all suffer from, with the prominent issue of slash and burn farming causing huge spikes in air pollution levels, typically running from December through to April of the following year. In short, some of the months recorded over 2020 will be used to demonstrate the level of air pollution present, as well as the danger to one’s health that it can bring.

In late May of 2021, Chom Thong was seen with a US AQI reading of just 25, a very clean rating of air quality that placed it into the ‘good’ ratings bracket, as per the US AQI ratings system. This level requires a reading of anywhere between 0 to 50 to be classified as such, and is color coded as green, on both air quality maps and graphs, for ease of use and navigation when observing hourly pollution readings and forecasts.

According to the guidelines set out by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), any reading between 0 to 150 is deemed as ‘acceptable’, however these guidelines can vary from country to country, but as a general rule the US standard is adopted due to it being far stricter than many other international pollution ratings.

Whilst this reading of 25 as mentioned above indicates a good level of air quality, when looking back at previous months as recorded over 2020, one can see a plethora of pollution readings that would cause many ill health effects amongst the population, affecting not only those who are vulnerable or at-risk, but even extending its damaging effects to healthy members of the population.

For further information on the US AQI ratings system, a reading of anywhere between 51 to 100 is classified as ‘moderate’ in terms of its pollution levels, and is color coded as yellow. 101 to 150 is classified as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, and is color coded as orange. Whilst this still falls within the acceptable range, the general public and those with poorer health may start to experience irritation of their respiratory tract, along with other unpleasant symptoms. US AQI readings above this start to fall into the unhealthy ratings bracket and require preventative measures in order to reduce the highly damaging effects that such poor levels of air quality can bring.

In closing, Chom Thong is subject to some severe levels of air pollution during certain months of the year, putting it into the upper echelons of the worlds most polluted cities, and yet it can also demonstrate extremely clean air quality, showing just how damaging the effects of crop or forest area burning can be on the environment and to the health of the inhabitants of Chom Thong.

What are some health issues that can arise from breathing polluted air in Chom Thong?

Health issues that may arise as a result of breathing large amounts of smoke, haze and hazardous clouds of particulate matter can be ones such as dry coughs and accompanying chest pains. Infections of the respiratory tract may present themselves, but will generally cease if exposure to pollution is minimized or halted altogether. However, if exposure is severe or prolonged, as well as hitting vulnerable demographics of the population, it can turn into ailments such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term that contains within it illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchitis, along with emphysema and asthma.

Excessive breathing of ultrafine particles and certain noxious gases or fumes can lead to both irritation, inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue. This can then go on to reduce full lung function or capacity, as well as making individuals more susceptible to the above mentioned health problems.

What are the most prominent types of air pollution in Chom Thong?

The main pollutants found in the air in Chom Thong would be the ones used to calculate the overall level of US AQI, as well as a host of other ones that result from widespread burning of organic matter (as well as emissions from vehicles, factories, power plants and even areas such as construction sites).

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃) and both ultrafine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) particles would be part of the US AQI aggregate, with their overall volumes being used to calculate the US AQI level. Out of all of these, PM2.5 is widely regarded as the most dangerous of all air pollutants, not only due to the wide array of dangerous materials it is comprised of, but also because its size of 2.5 microns or less (in some cases many microns less in diameter) allow it the penetrate deep into the lungs and cross over into the blood stream.

Other noteworthy pollutants that emanate from combustion sources include ones such as black carbon, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), both of which are produced from the incomplete combustion of both organic matter and fossil fuels.

Which months are dangerous to travel in Chom Thong?

Observing the data collected from 2020, it can be seen that the months of January through to April had the worst readings of pollution, taken in measurements of PM2.5. Their readings were, in respective order, 50.1 μg/m³, 69.6 μg/m³, 75.5 μg/m³ and 63. μg/m³.

This made March the most polluted month of the year by a significant amount, coming in at 75.5 and sitting well within the ‘unhealthy’ ratings bracket (55.5 to 150.4 μg/m³ required).

Does Chom Thong have a cleaner period of time?

After the pollution highs witnessed at the beginning of the year being to abate, in close correlation with the ending of the burning season, the months of May through to November all had the best readings of air pollution present. Furthermore, within this time period, June, July and August had extremely good ratings of air quality, with readings of 6.9 μg/m³, 8.1 μg/m³ and 11.5 μg/m³.

This placed June and July into the coveted world health organization's (WHO's) target goal for the best quality of air at 10 μg/m³ or less, and August into the ‘good’ air quality ratings bracket, making these months the time in which the air would be significantly freer from smoke, haze, fumes and clouds of highly damaging particles.