Air quality in Ban Talat Bueng

What are the air pollution levels like in Ban Talat Bueng?

Ban Talat Bueng sees air pollution levels that can range all the way from extremely good, right up to being moderately polluted in nature. This is largely due to several main reasons, which will be discussed in the following questions.

In late August of 2021, Ban Talat Bueng presented with a US AQI reading of 25, indicating a ‘good’ level of air quality. This however was not always the case, with days prior coming in with readings going up to highs of 157, which would fall into the ‘unhealthy’ ratings bracket, highlighting the sporadic nature of air quality within Ban Talat Bueng, and other areas within the Chon Buri region.

What are the main causes of air pollution in Ban Talat Bueng?

Some of the main contributing factors to air pollution in Ban Talat Bueng would the ones typically found throughout most of Asia and the rest of the world. These would be emissions from vehicles, with the fumes of the many engines moving about the city as well as in and out on a daily basis all causing the ambient levels of air pollution to rise. Many tons of microscopic rubber particles can also be released into the air from the non-stop wear and tear of tire treads, with cars, motorbikes and larger freight vehicles such as trucks and lorries all contributing to this. These fine particles can settle onto the soil, as well as landing in bodies of water, causing environmental damage on top of polluting the atmosphere.

Others would come from the factories and power plants, whose own combustion processes can often lead to heightened levels of air pollution, particularly if stringent measures are not put in place to combat excessive emissions.

The main source of the massive spikes in air pollution seen however come from the farmland and forest area fires that are a consistent problem in Thailand, particularly in the northern regions. The smoke from fires in neighboring countries would also find its way over the Ban Talat Bueng and other various cities nearby, and with a lack of strong wind during certain times of the year, cause the air pollution levels to skyrocket as the clouds of smoke and haze build up to dangerous levels.

When does Ban Talat Bueng have its highest levels of air pollution?

With prior readings of air quality present on record, one can see that over the course of 2020, Ban Talat Bueng had some months of the year that were extremely polluted, with such high readings that they skewed the yearly average by a significant amount, causing Ban Talat Bueng high ranking amongst the worlds most polluted cities in 2020. This occurred even during the covid-19 crisis, which saw huge cessations in travel and tourism, which should have improved the quality of the air due to reduced movement amongst people.

The most polluted months on record in Ban Talat Bueng were April, May, September, as well as October and December also presenting with a higher reading. This lacks any distinct pattern whereby air pollution levels start to rise in any particular period of the year, although there was a small amount of data missing in the earlier months of the year, with January and February lacking properly calibrated data.

April presented with a reading of 20.1 μg/m³, May with a figure of 17.7 μg/m³, along with September coming in at 16 μg/m³, October at 17.2 μg/m³ and 24.3 μg/m³ for December.

Going from these available figures, December took the top spot for most highly polluted month with its reading of 24.3 μg/m³, placing it within the 'moderate' air pollution bracket. This would be a time in which the smoke from industrial sites, potential fires, along with other forms of polluting activities would be at their highest, filling the air with higher amounts of smoke, haze and clouds of fine particles.

At what time of the year does Ban Talat Bueng have the best air quality?

Observing the air quality levels collected over 2020 once again, the months of March and November came in with the most optimal air quality readings. These PM2.5 figures were 11.9 μg/m³ and 10.6 μg/m³, placing both of them into the 'good' air quality rating bracket. This 'good' air quality rating requires a fine margin of 10 to 12 μg/m³ to be classified as such, and represents a time in which the air would be freer from clouds of fine particles and other air contaminants.

Does air pollution cause health issues in Ban Talat Bueng?

Exposure to high levels of air pollution can bring about all manner of unwanted and dangerous conditions, particularly to certain individuals who fall into the sensitive groups bracket. However, even healthy adults can succumb to the ill effects of air pollution if exposure is excessive, or taken in over a long period of time (particularly for those who live near highly polluted areas such as industrial districts or near busy roads, whereby the air quality will be poor for a most of the year).

Some conditions that could arise as a result would be short term ones such as dry throat and coughs, as well as chest pains and mild infections of the respiratory tract. These can resolve themselves fairly fast when exposure to air pollution is lessened or halted outright, and as such they can be considered as more short term or acute health issues.

These can also develop into more long term or chronic ailments, with continuous chest infections and coughing leading to scarring of lung tissue, which can result in permanently decreased lung function and capacity to expand fully.

As well as this, the scarring or damage and inflammation to the tissue of the lungs can make one more vulnerable to a whole host of respiratory distress, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting itself. This is an umbrella term which refers to a multitude of different lung and respiratory tract conditions, typically resulting in shortness of breath as well as making an individual at greater risk to severe damage from pollution exposure.

Some serious conditions that fall under the COPD bracket are one such as pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema and aggravated forms of asthma. Other damage that can occur to the body includes cases of cancer, heightened risk of heart attacks, strokes and arrythmias, as well as ischemic heart disease and many other cardiac or pulmonary conditions that can bring about a shortening of one’s life.