Air quality in Thap Sakae

Is there pollution in the air in Thap Sakae?

Thap Sakae has varying degrees of air pollution present throughout the months of the year, as is a common theme throughout Thailand, particularly for those cities in the northern regions that are more heavily affected by slash and burn farming practices, as well as those close to the capital city of Bangkok due to large-scale industrial activity along with the mass movement of people. In early December of 2021, Thap Sakae was seen with a US AQI reading of 57, a figure that placed it into the 'moderate' air quality rating bracket. This is not particularly dangerous for a vast majority of the population; however, it may cause some health issues for those who are vulnerable to air pollution, with these people being discussed further down in the article. At the time when this figure was recorded, the PM2.5 reading was 3 times over the World Health Organization's (WHO's) guidelines for safe exposure levels, with a figure of 15.1 µg/m³. Once again whilst this is over the safe exposure levels, it may not present any immediate risks to one’s. Due to the air pollution levels often spiking rapidly in cities throughout Thailand, with Thap Sakae being no exception, it would be of great aid to ensure that air quality forecasts are followed closely, with hourly updates being available on this page as well as on the AirVisual app. In closing, Thap Sakae is not presenting with dangerously high levels of smoke or haze in the latter period of 2021, but pollution levels may spike suddenly and as such precautions should be taken for when such incidences do occur.

What types of pollutants are found in the air in Thap Sakae?

A number of the main types of air pollutants that can be found in Thap Sakae are those that go into forming the US AQI aggregation, which is calculated using the following main pollutants. These include ones such as the two main forms of particle pollution, PM10 and PM2.5, with PM2.5 being the far more hazardous of the two. Having a size of 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter gives it the ability to bypass many of the body’s defenses, subsequently penetrating deep into the tissue of the lungs where it can cause many aggravated health issues as well as causing pre-existing ones to worsen, particularly those of the cardiac or pulmonary variety. Other health issues that may be caused by exposure are touched on in the following questions regarding health issues that may occur when on is exposed to air pollution in Thap Sakae. Referring back to the US AQI aggregate, the pollutants that go into forming this figure are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide (both of which are commonly released from vehicles, with nitrogen dioxide being found consistently in the air over areas that have a higher level of traffic, with the two having a strong correlation). Other US AQI pollutants include carbon monoxide and ozone, or smog as it is more commonly referred to when it accumulates on ground level. Other pollutants that present significant health risks and are important to be knowledgeable on, are ones known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals that can maintain a gaseous state at lower temperatures, making them much easier to breathe and therefore inflict any related health issues. Some examples of VOCs are benzene, styrene, methylene chloride, formaldehyde and toluene. It is also useful to note and be aware that VOCs are found very commonly within households, being the most common form of indoor air pollution, often being emitted from materials such as paints, varnishes, glues, as well as many other household items such as scented candles, aerosols, or other various scented toiletry products.

Does breathing polluted air in Thap Sakae present any health risks?

Health risks that may occur in Thap Sakae during bouts of higher air pollution include those that affect primarily the lungs and upper respiratory tract. More superficial symptoms that may present themselves when individuals are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are ones such as coughing, throat and chest infections, as well as irritation to the skin and mucous membranes. The dry coughs and minor infections can typically clear up when exposure to air pollution is ceased, or at least lessened. More long-term respiratory issues that may occur when air pollution exposure is chronic or excessive, are ones such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes within it illnesses such as bronchitis, emphysema, aggravated forms of asthma as well as pneumonia.

Which people are at risk of health issues from pollution and smoke exposure in Thap Sakae?

Groups of people that may be considered as more at risk to the side effects of exposure to smoke, haze or smog in Thap Sakae are groups such as the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, or those with pre-existing health conditions. Other people that may need to take extra care include pregnant mothers, those with hypersensitivity towards certain chemical compounds or fine particulate matter, as well as young children, babies, or those who lead a sedentary or unhealthy lifestyle, which can contribute to reduced life expectancy and higher mortality rates in Thap Sakae.

Why is Thap Sakae polluted?

Air pollution is elevated in Thap Sakae due to many of the reasons that affect other cities and provinces throughout Thailand as well as neighboring countries. These include ones such as exhaust fumes released from the numerous vehicles in use, with many of them being of the worn or lower quality grade. Whilst there have been many steps taken to eradicate those higher pollution-causing vehicles from the roads, particularly in larger cities, their use is still widespread throughout many rural areas or outside the larger or more densely populated areas. Due to the extremely poor combustion process that takes place (often coupled with low-quality fuels or fossil fuels), considerably higher amounts of noxious oil vapors are released into the atmosphere, along with hazardous fine particles, such as black carbon. This pollutant is released from the combustion of both fossil fuels, as well as the incomplete combustion of organic material (and as such can be found permeating roadside areas that see a high volume of traffic, as well as being released in large volumes by open burn sites and the prevalent farm or forest land fires started by farmers throughout the country). Other causes include factories and power plants, which also rely heavily on burning fossil fuels to meet their power needs. Road repairs, construction sites, and other similar areas also release high amounts of ultrafine or coarse particles into the air, raising the PM2.5 and PM10 levels, which can cause prominent spikes in the particle pollution readings. The combustion of untreated and organic materials remains as one of the more prevailing causes of pollution in Thap Sakae, made worse by a variety of human-based (anthropogenic) and industrial activities.