Air quality in Uttaradit

What is the level of air pollution in Uttaradit?

Uttaradit is 483 kilometres north of Bangkok, Thailand. According to the 2017 census, the population was estimated to be approximately 33,400 people.

In early June 2021, Uttaradit was enjoying a period of “Good” quality air with a US AQI reading of just 25. This United States Air Quality Index number is an internationally used set of metrics supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used to compare different cities throughout the world using comparable standards. It is calculated by using the levels of the six most commonly found pollutants. If figures are not available for all six, the figure is calculated using what information is available. In the case of Uttaradit the only recorded figure was that of the pollutant PM2.5 which was 6 µg/m³. This figure is quoted in micrograms/microns per cubic metre.

With a low concentration of pollutants, doors and windows can be safely opened and all types of outdoor exercise can be enjoyed without worry.

Does the air quality change much during the year in Uttaradit?

Air pollution is easily affected by so many variables that it should come as no surprise that it can change very quickly.

Looking back at the figures published by the Swiss air monitoring company IQAir.com for 2020 it can be seen that for five months of the year, Uttaradit achieved the target figure for air pollution as recommended by the World Health Organisation. From the beginning of June until the end of October the recorded figures were all less than 10 µg/m³. The months of May, November and December saw a decline in quality when figures were between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³ which placed it into the “Moderate” category. February and April saw a further decline when figures rose to between 35.5 and 55.4 µg/m³ which pushed it into the “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” classification. The remaining two months of January and March saw the quality at its worst with readings between 55.5 and 150.4 µg/m³ which is “Unhealthy”.

Figures were first kept in 2019 when an annual average of 20.2 was recorded. In 2020 it slipped back again to 27.3 µg/m³. However, this may not be a truly accurate reading because of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many vehicles were temporarily unused as the drivers were furloughed and not required to commute to and from work on a daily basis. There were also many factories and other non-essential production units which were temporarily closed in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

Where does the polluted air in Uttaradit come from?

In the industry of Uttaradit Province, most of them are small, household industries, namely fruit processing, sugar production, weaving and fish sauce industry. As for large industries such as mining, automobiles and chemicals, it has not yet occurred in Uttaradit Province. Although Uttaradit is rich in various minerals.

Emerging from an agricultural base to more industrialisation, Thailand now faces many environmental problems, particularly air pollution, resulting in adverse health consequences. The three major sources of air pollution are vehicular emissions in cities, biomass burning and transboundary haze in rural and border areas, and industrial discharges in concentrated industrialised zones.

In the rural and border areas, agricultural burning and forest fires, including transboundary haze from Myanmar, have contributed to high levels of PM10. Several studies worldwide have demonstrated that PM10 is associated with premature mortality and a wide range of morbidity outcomes.

Can the air quality in Uttaradit be improved?

The widespread loss of natural forests in Northern Thailand has a negative environmental impact on the community. Huge areas of forests have been cleared to make room for growing corn. Biodiversity has suffered as animal and bird habitats have been destroyed.

Agroforestry is an environmentally friendly system, in which crops are inter-planted with trees and shrubs. Some of these trees grow fruit or nuts that can be harvested. Others grow for many years, and can later be harvested for their timber.

Once these trees can provide shade from the intense sunshine, cash crops can be grown alongside them as well as local vegetables which can then be sold at the local markets, once mature.

Corn is a wasteful product, leaving behind huge amounts of waste once it has been harvested for the kernels.

The first approach to the problem was to encourage the local farmers to stop burning their crop waste in open fields by providing them with a better, more profitable option. Farmers were shown how easy it is to turn the crop waste into a viable product that would provide additional income. Biochar.

The biochar is then turned into either soil amendment to improve farmland soils, used for improving the health of livestock, or made into briquettes for cooking, replacing smoky cooking fuels in homes.

How does all this pollution affect our health?

The smaller airborne dust pollution or PM2.5 is the real health hazard because it can be inhaled and is small enough to reach deep into the lungs and respiratory tract – some particles may eventually reach the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.

Research has shown that exposure to air pollution can cause acute, serious myocardial events, including heart attacks, arrhythmias and decreased heart rate variability. There is also a risk of death from acute cardiac arrest. In addition, there is recent evidence that arteriosclerosis and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter are linked. The sediment, called plaques, is deposited in the blood vessels, which can cause heart attacks and ischemic stroke. Air pollution is both a contributing factor to lung and respiratory diseases and exacerbating diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.

It is believed that long-term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of hardening of the arteries in the brain, leading to higher blood pressure and increased blood viscosity. These are all risk factors that can cause blood clots in the brain.

Exposure to fine dust particles is a health hazard for children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with lung or heart disease.

A child's lungs and immune system are in a developing stage. Studies have shown that exposure to air pollution interferes with lung growth in school-aged children. When compared to adults children spend more time outdoors for sports and outside activities. They also have a higher rate of asthma and other serious respiratory ailments, which are easily aggravated when pollution levels are high.