Air quality in Ban Chang

What are the air pollution levels like in Ban Chang?

Ban Chang is located in the eastern region of Thailand, within Rayong province. Ban Chang is home to some 49,000 inhabitants, as per a census conducted in 2005, and will thus have likely grown considerably since. In regards to its pollution levels, Ban Chang has seen some months with higher PM2.5 readings, indicating that the air quality could be harmful to many members of the population during such times. This is particularly true for more vulnerable or at-risk members of the population, which includes young children and babies, the elderly, pregnant mothers, as well as those with pre-existing health conditions, compromised immune systems (with the two often going hand in hand) as well as those with a hypersensitive disposition towards certain chemical compounds or particles.

In September of 2021, a US AQI reading of 38 was recorded. This placed Ban Chang into the 'good' air quality rating bracket for the time in which this figure was recorded, indicating that in the early period of September, air quality remained much more respectable, in contrast to other months when sudden spikes in pollution were seen. The PM2.5 reading taken at the same time as the above-mentioned US AQI figure was 9.1 μg/m³, which would place it within the World Health Organization's (WHO's) target goal for the most optimal level of air quality at 10 μg/m³ or less. This indicates that at times such as these, the population would be free to conduct normal day-to-day activities without risk of respiratory irritation or any aggravation of pre-existing health conditions.

Other US AQI readings taken around the same time were lows of 21 and 23, still both within the 'good' air quality bracket, which is color-coded as green and the most optimal rating that can be achieved, in regards to US AQI rankings (with this good rating requiring a figure of 0 to 50 to be classified as such). Higher readings of 51 and 53 were also taken, which would place Ban Chang into the 'moderate' pollution rating bracket, which is colored as yellow and requires a reading of anywhere between 51 to 100. As can be seen, they were on the lower end of this 'moderate' spectrum, but even then, they still have the opportunity to potentially cause respiratory irritation amongst vulnerable individuals. In closing, Ban Chang has shown some great levels of air quality in times past and continues to do so in 2021. However, it was not without its periods of much poorer air quality conditions, which aligned with the burning season that takes place throughout much of Thailand from the latter part of the year through to the early months of the following year. Whilst this is most prominent in the northern regions, with both domestic clouds of smoke causing large spikes in the pollution levels along with smoke also drifting across from neighboring countries such as Myanmar, it can still occur throughout many regions of Thailand and is responsible for the sudden and dangerous spikes in the PM2.5 and US AQI readings. Caution should be practiced at such times, as well as keeping up to date on air quality readings and forecasts, available both on this page as well as on the AirVisual app.

What causes higher levels of air pollution to occur in Ban Chang?

As mentioned above, some of the biggest contributors to rising levels of pollution in Ban Chang come predominantly from open burning sites or slash and burn fires as they are more commonly known (also sometimes known as stubble burning, a term commonly used in India to address the same issue). Whilst these fires are the main contributors, there are also many other sources of air pollution present throughout Ban Chang, similar to many other cities and regions in Thailand.

These are ones such as exhaust fumes and emissions from the many vehicles in use, and with steady increases in vehicle ownership, this is an issue that may potentially worsen over time. The removal of aged vehicles from the road can aid greatly in putting a dent in vehicle-related pollution, as the more worn down motors that are in poor condition tend to leak far more noxious oil vapors, as well as their poor combustion process giving out far more chemical compounds and particles. Other sources include dust arising from construction sites, road repairs, as well as demolition areas, as well as even the residual wear and tear of tire treads contributing to many tons of microscopic rubber particles entering into the atmosphere.

What are some types of pollution that can be found in Ban Chang?

Some pollutants that can be found in Ban Chang would be those that are used in calculating the US AQI index, which includes ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, along with the two forms of particle pollution, PM10 and PM2.5. Other pollutants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as black carbon, particularly salient due to both of them being released from the poor or incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, as well as organic material being burnt. Both of these occur throughout Ban Chang and indeed much of Thailand, and as such pollution such as black carbon can be seen coating areas that have a high volume of traffic (in the form of soot). Some examples of VOCs include benzene, styrene, methylene chloride as well as formaldehyde.

When is Ban Chang polluted?

Based on the PM2.5 readings taken over 2020, it can be seen that Ban Chang had the highest levels of pollution in the months of February through to April (January was missing from the 2020 records due to incomplete data calibration), as well as the months of October through to December also having higher levels. This is a common theme in many Thai cities and provinces, and out of all of the above mentioned months, February came in the highest with a reading of 37.7 μg/m³, placing it in the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' bracket, the only month of the year to achieve this rating.

When is the air quality in Ban Chang at its cleanest?

Despite having many months of elevated PM2.5 levels, Ban Chang also had an extended period in which the pollution levels were considerably lower. These readings came in over May through to September, with readings of 9.4 μg/m³, 4.3 μg/m³, 4.5 μg/m³, 6.1 μg/m³ and 7.7 μg/m³ having been recorded, all of which fell within the WHO's target goal for the best level of air quality.