Bao Loc air quality map

What information about air pollution can be seen on the air pollution map for Bao Loc?

The air pollution map for Bao Loc is very easy to access from the main city page. The map icon will be seen at the top of this first page and by clicking anywhere on the map, a new page will open with all the information about air quality in that area.

Possibly the first thing that a user will notice is the overall colour of the map’s background which is a direct reflection of the air quality. Currently, this is green which indicates “Good” air quality. An explanation of the meaning of the different colours available can be found in the legend at the foot of the page.

Not every city throughout the world has its own ground-level air monitoring stations and Bao Loc is one of those that has none of its own. Instead, it relies on satellite information which detects pollutants within the atmosphere and calculates the air quality from its findings. On the main city page immediately to the right of the US AQI number will be an asterisk which denotes that the figure has been calculated from satellite data. It is calculated by measuring the levels of six of the most prolific air pollutants and can then be used as a metric when making comparisons to other cities. The main pollutants which are measured are Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. This system is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Briefly looking back to the main city page, it can be seen that during September 2022, Bao Loc was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 55. The main pollutant measured was PM2.5 with a reading of 14.1 µg/m³. This is almost three times the WHO suggested target figure of 5 µg/m³.

Is there much more useful information about air quality on the air pollution map for Bao Loc?

In order to gain access to the full amount of information available, the page needs to be opened in full-screen mode. This way, a drop-down list of four choices appears on the far left-hand side of the screen. The first option would show the position of the ground-level air monitoring stations, but as already stated, Bao Loc has no such stations because it relies on satellite information. The second option shows the location of any fires which may be burning in the local area. This option could be looked at together with option four which shows the wind speed and direction and gives an indication of where the ensuing smoke will blow.

The most dramatic option is number three which can change the colour of the map to reflect the current air quality. This can be deactivated though and the map will then revert to a more standard set of colours.

More information can be seen on the far right of the screen where a table which ranks world cities according to their level of pollution can be seen.

Are areas of higher pollution easy to identify on the air pollution map for Bao Loc?

Satellite information does not identify the source of higher levels of pollution but looks at the city as a whole. Local residents may know the location of industrial areas which often produce more pollution due to their activities. Also, city centres often have higher levels of pollution due to the emissions from the traffic on its roads. This is especially true during the morning and evening rush hour.

Is it possible to find the source of the polluted air on the air quality map for Bao Loc?

There are two areas of high-level air pollution at two mining sites in the vicinity. These are at the Bao Loc bauxite mine where sulphur dioxide exceeded the Vietnamese allowable limit by 1.83 times. The level at the Di Linh bentonite mine also exceeded levels by 1.94 times.

The development of industry and agriculture has brought many consequences to the environment. And the cause of air pollution is mainly smoke, dust and emissions from industrial plants. In addition, production facilities also emit a large amount of toxic gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen and other unburnt organic substances such as soot, dust, etc., with extremely high concentrations. The air environment is destroyed, leading to very bad consequences for the health of people living in that area.

In addition, the agricultural activities of the people such as burning garden rubbish, burning rice straw after the harvest, etc. also contribute to smog and cause air pollution to increase. With this air pollutant factor, the main cause of pollution comes from these daily activities, which can be cooking using materials such as firewood, coal, charcoal honeycomb briquettes etc., which releases smoke and dust into the air. The honeycomb charcoal heavily pollutes the environment but it is very cheap to buy and is available almost everywhere. It has been used traditionally for generations and will be very difficult to change peoples’ minds against its use.

We see that PM2.5 is used as a benchmark on the air pollution map for Bao Loc, but how dangerous is it?

Dust is a complex mixture of inorganic and organic particles in liquid or solid form suspended in the air; including sulphate, nitrate, ammonia, sodium chloride, carbon black, mineral dust and water. Dust or compounds present in dust are collectively known as Particulate Matter - symbol PM.

Fine particles PM2.5 and PM10 can be generated from nature such as forest fires, desert dust, volcanic smoke, sandstorms, tornadoes, or from biological waste such as pollen, fungal spores, etc. insect wastewater. But most dust is generated from human activities through burning charcoal, burning fossil fuels, dust from construction sites, street dust, garbage burning, industrial smoke, deforestation, and smoke.

A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has shown a positive correlation between the level of air dust pollution and the incidence of cancer. Specifically, the density of PM10 in the air increased to 10 µg/m3, the cancer rate increased by 22 per cent, and the density of PM2.5 increased by 10 µg/m3, and the rate of lung cancer increased to 36 per cent.