Air quality in Rat Burana

Is there air pollution in Rat Burana?

In early 2022 Rat Burana has presented with 'moderate' air pollution ratings, indicating that the air has fair amounts of smoke, haze and other polluting particles in it, but not a substantial amount to cause major concern amongst citizens. However, in the latter days of December with 2021 coming to a close, considerable spikes of pollution were seen, with US AQI readings going all the way up into the 'unhealthy' rating bracket, which indicates that all portions of the population will be at risk from adverse health effects. As such, whilst the air quality levels are fluctuating within Rat Burana, with lows being present throughout the year, it is the sudden spikes in PM2.5 and US AQI readings that can cause a large number of health issues, some of which will be discussed further in the article.

Can breathing polluted air in Rat Burana make you sick?

Whilst it will not be a continual problem for many citizens, it is important to note that extended bouts of breathing smoke and other forms of pollution may irritate the respiratory tract as well as aggravate any pre-existing conditions, with the pulmonary and cardiac systems being affected the most, especially in regards to correlation with premature death rates. The skin can also be subject to considerable irritation, with outbreaks of acne, eczema and psoriasis all being possible. Symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may start to appear amongst certain people, with illnesses such as pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema falling into this COPD grouping. More serious issues include increased rates of heart attacks, arrhythmias, strokes as well as early death that can in one way or another, be linked to the inhalation of excessive amounts of pollution over a long course of time.

What types of pollutants can be found in the air around Rat Burana?

Some more prominent pollutants that can be found in areas around Rat Burana, as well as surrounding districts and cities, include ones that mainly emanate from combustion sources. These on their own are of an extremely large number, with open burn fires, natural disasters (such as forest fires, houses or buildings catching fire), combustion within vehicle engines as well as boilers in factories and other similar industrial sites, as was mentioned earlier in the question regarding what the main causes of polluted air in Rat Burana are. Whilst the aforementioned open burn fires, or slash and burn farming approaches as they are more generally referred to, are of much greater concern in the northern regions of the country, they can still be found to a lesser capacity around different provinces of Thailand, and can induce large amounts of pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and black carbon to be emitted into the atmosphere, along with the other pollutants that go into calculating the US AQI aggregate. The chemicals used to calculate this US AQI figure include nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, as well as the two main forms of particle pollution, PM2.5 and PM10. Of these two, the smaller PM2.5 is well known as the far more dangerous, due to its minute size of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter allowing it to bypass the bodies defense systems and lodge deep within the tissue of the lungs (with more on this being discussed in the following health issues question). PM2.5 and some forms of PM10 can consist of materials such as water droplets and vapor, along with a variety of other liquids that can be aerosolized. Other materials include mold and fungal spores, bacteria, metals, nitrates and sulfates, along with finely ground silica dust, which can have a carcinogenic effect when inhaled. Some examples of the aforementioned VOCs include chemical compounds such as benzene, styrene, methylene chloride, toluene, xylene and formaldehyde. Their volatile nature allows them to maintain a gaseous state at much lower temperatures, thus making them considerably easier to breathe, and would be found prevalently around inhabited areas of Rat Burana, due to their release from everything from fires, cars, factories as well as even from household items. VOCs are one of the primary sources of indoor air pollution and can stem from products such as glue, paint, varnish, as well as aerosols such as deodorant, scented candles and other toiletries. These are some of the more prevalent air pollutants that may be found around Rat Burana, with certain areas such as busy roads and intersections that see a high level of rush hour traffic having higher concentrations of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone and black carbon. Extra care should be taken around such areas, and wearing fine particle filtering masks can aid greatly in the reduction of hazardous material inhalation.

Who can be affected the most by air pollution in Rat Burana?

Some of the inhabitants of Rat Burana that can be considered to be more at risk of suffering from negative reactions (and in some cases much more significant effects) from pollution exposure are people such as the elderly, as well as those with compromised immune systems or pre-existing health conditions, with the two usually going hand in hand, being worsened by other factors or comorbidities such as lack of exercise and unhealthy lifestyle, or habits such as smoking. Other people that may need to take to stay clear from clouds of smoke, smog and haze include pregnant women, those with hypersensitivity towards chemical pollutants, as well as young children and babies.

What is causing polluted air to occur in Rat Burana?

Polluted air in Rat Burana can arise from a variety of causes, similar to many of those that pollute other provinces and cities throughout Thailand as well as neighboring countries. Vehicle fumes are one of these factors that are of significant concern, especially for the surrounding cities and districts of Bangkok, due to the large number of people situated outside of the direct city center, a common phenomenon due to lower property expenses and better quality of life. However, it is inevitable for a large amount of the population in areas such as Rat Burana to usually work within the city center of Bangkok, thus causing significant amounts of daily commutes to be made, causing rush hour traffic to give off larger amounts of hazardous particles, clouds of smoke, haze and smog as these vehicles travel out of Rat Burana. More aged and lower quality vehicles remain prevalent, even though there are many motivations in place to gradually phase them out entirely. This will assist greatly in lowering the pollution levels across primary cities of Thailand but may prove much harder to implement throughout many of the provincial areas, where badly aged motorbikes, cars and trucks are still used. These outdated and low-quality engines leak significantly more noxious oil vapors due to their inferior combustion process taking place within the engine, as well as other factors such as the use of lower-quality fuel. This causes their exhaust fumes to give out larger clouds of dark smoke, filled with black carbon. Furthermore, vehicles contribute to other forms of particle pollution, with the consistent wear and tear placed on tire treads giving rise to large amounts of microscopic rubber particles entering into the atmosphere. From here they can induce a large number of health issues when inhaled, initiating pre-existing health conditions as well as potentially invading the bloodstream if their size is small enough, as well as gathering in the environment and damaging various ecosystems. Other causes of pollution present in Rat Burana include smoke and haze from industrial activity, as was noted, with various industrial sites, factories, power plants and even private businesses that rely on the combustion of fuels, or even fossil fuels such as diesel, natural gas and coal to provide their energy requirements.