Air quality in Chom Bueng

Is there air pollution present in Chom Bueng?

Chom Bueng, located within Ratchaburi province in the western region of Thailand, is subject to air quality levels that can have noticeable disparities between them. During certain times of the year, the air quality can reach exceptional levels, being extremely clean to breathe and meeting the criteria for the World Health Organization's (WHO's) target goal for the most optimal level of air cleanliness. Despite this, in complete contrast, many months of the year have somewhat hazardous levels of air pollution present, with many of these air contaminants having prominent effects on the health of the inhabitants of Chom Bueng, as well as those that would be passing through, particularly if it is during a bout of more extreme pollution levels. Like many regions and cities in Thailand, Chom Bueng can also suffer from the issues of smoke and haze caused by slash and burn farming practices, as well as the open burning of other organic or synthetic material (although this second one is of far less prevalence than the former). Whilst many of these burning practices are known to take place in the northern regions of the country, they can also affect many other provinces, with the smoke rising from such fires being able to drift many miles, and under the correct meteorological conditions, cause pollutants such as ozone to form, as well as larger amounts of hazardous particle pollution gathering within a single area. Combined with pollution caused by anthropogenic movement and industrial activity, Chom Bueng can thus be subject to months of significantly more damaging US AQI and PM2.5 levels.

US AQI is a number aggregated from the several main pollutants found in the air throughout the world, one of which (ozone) was already touched on. The others include carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and the two main types of particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5. PM2.5 itself is used as a prominent measure of air pollution in its own right, due to it being one of the most dangerous forms of pollution that can be found in the air. It consists of materials such as metals, nitrates, sulfates, water and other liquid vapors, bacteria, mold, dust and silica particles, or any other ultrafine material that is of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter. PM2.5 readings in Chom Bueng will be discussed in further detail later on in the article in regards to readings taken from 2020, to demonstrate when the pollution levels can reach their highest. Observing some US AQI readings taken in mid to late September of 2021, it can be seen that very optimal readings were present. A US AQI figure of just 8 was on record, placing Chom Bueng into the 'good' air quality rating bracket for that particular day and time. When every day from August through to September is observed, all of these US AQI readings fell within the 'good' classification, indicating that the air quality is considerably more optimal during this time of the year. However, pollution levels can be subject to rapid changes, particularly during the final months of the year. Preventative measures such as wearing fine particle filtering masks and avoiding outdoor activity can be put into place to safeguard one’s health from the more negative effects of excess pollution exposure.

Why is air pollution prevalent throughout Chom Bueng?

As was touched on briefly, Chom Bueng and many other areas throughout Ratchaburi still have the issue of slash and burn farming practices to contend with. Despite this being made illegal, they continue unabated in many areas, often taking place at night under the cover of darkness, as well as in harder-to-reach areas, making the enforcement of the law harder to carry out. It can be said that these practices are the main contributing cause to the higher pollution readings seen on record, and thus the cessation of open burning sites would aid greatly in making the air in Chom Bueng a lot safer. Other contributing factors towards air pollution in Chom Bueng are ones such as emissions from vehicles, with exhaust fumes building up heavily in areas that see a high volume of traffic, as well as getting stuck between buildings and other urban areas, with the pollution being less easily dispersed due to lack of wind or rain, more prominent in certain months of the year. Others include emissions from factories and power plants, as well as dust and particles being released from construction sites and road repairs, particularly if such sites are not maintained to a high degree (with uncovered sand piles or concrete dust accumulations being blown away by wind and up into the atmosphere above Chom Bueng, causing spikes in PM2.5 and PM10 readings).

Is the air unhealthy to breathe in Chom Bueng?

Some effects that may be incurred to one’s health when exposed to higher levels of air pollution would be instances of dry coughs, chest infections and irritation to the skin and exposed mucous membranes such as the nose, ears, eyes and mouth. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would also present itself, with conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma falling under the COPD term. In more serious cases, there are higher risks of cancer to contend with, along with heart attacks, strokes, arrhythmias and even death. Of note that these are all possibilities that lead to the notion that individuals should strive to keep their pollution exposure as low as possible, as well as aiding in reducing their pollution emissions.

What months have higher pollution levels in Chom Bueng?

Observing the PM2.5 data collected over 2020, it can be seen that Chom Bueng had its most polluted readings in January through to April, as well as November and December also showing higher readings. These correlate heavily with the slash and burn season, whereby the pollution levels rise rapidly towards the end of the year and carry on into the following year. Out of all of these months, January through to March had the highest figures, coming in at 50.9 μg/m³, 53.9 μg/m³ and 44.4 μg/m³ respectively.

When is the air less polluted in Chom Bueng?

Despite significant elevations of pollution being present in Chom Bueng, the period of May through to October all had vastly improved air quality readings. All of these PM2.5 figures fell within the WHO's target goal for the best quality of air at 10 μg/m³ or less, with June and July taking the top spot for pollution-free air at 2.2 μg/m³ and 2.2 μg/m³ each, along with September also having an equally respectable 2.5 μg/m³.