Air quality in Changwat Udon Thani

Does Changwat Udon Thani have a problem with polluted air?

Changwat Udon Thani is a state, or province, located in the upper northeastern region of Thailand, counted amongst the 77 different provinces throughout the country. It is neighbors to other provinces such as Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen and Loei. Its capital city goes by the same name of Udon Thani, with Changwat itself meaning province in Thai.

Due to its important geographical location in north Thailand, as well as its closeness to neighboring countries such as Laos, Changwat Udon Thani has undergone significant and rather rapid development in recent times, becoming steadily more urbanized as well as experiencing an increase in both industry as well as population size, due to an influx of migrant workers looking for opportunities within a rapidly developing area. In 2010, the population of the province was estimated to be around 1.5 million people, a number which is sure to have increased since this last census.

Regarding the quality of its air, when looking at the most prominent city in Changwat Udon Thani, the capital, Udon Thani city, stands out as having some particularly bad pollution levels in the early months of 2021, with readings that came in with highs of 81.6 μg/m³, a hazardous reading that would place the capital into the ‘unhealthy’ ratings bracket, which requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 55.5 to 150.4 μg/m³ to be classified as such.

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, in some instances going down to sizes as small as 0.001 microns or less. Due to its exceptionally small size and wide range of materials that can be classified as fine particulate matter, it is extremely hazardous to human health, having far reaching health implications, and as such is used as a major component in the calculation of the overall AQI, or air quality index. In closing, Changwat Udon Thani is certainly subject to some pollutive issues, both in its capital and across other cities within its boundaries. Of note is that many cities and states throughout Thailand are also subject to some particularly bad PM2.5 readings in the early months of the year, due to reasons concerning illegal farming practices compounded by other ambient sources of pollution already present.

What are some of the main causes of pollution in Changwat Udon Thani?

Changwat Udon Thani as a state is home to a large number of people, and with a population that is rising slowly, there will be an uphill battle with keeping the air pollution in check, although some of the more severe causes of pollution could be stopped if certain government initiatives were to be fully enforced, especially when it concerns the farming practices conducted in certain months of the year.

One of the main and ever present causes would be that of automobile pollution, with thousands of cars and motorbikes inhabiting the roads, taking people back and forth on their daily commutes, as well as visitors moving through the city and industrial vehicles carrying their loads. Many vehicles also have the added issue of being significantly aged, which presents a problem due to poor quality motors leaking large amounts of oil vapors and noxious chemicals, due to a faulty combustion process often combined with a lower quality fuel, or diesel in many cases. Vehicles can also contribute to the particulate matter count by releasing large amounts of microscopic rubber particles into the air from the countless tires in use on the roads.

Other causes include factory emissions, along with power sites and other similar industrial areas. The use of coal is highly prevalent throughout Changwat Udon Thani, and indeed much of Thailand. Not only is it an unsustainable source, but a highly polluting one as well, with the combustion process releasing large amounts of fumes and particulate matter into the air, often with no filtration systems in place or pollution caps to limit the amount of pollutants escaping.

Other noteworthy causes in the province would include both road repairs and construction sites, with the two releasing more pollution than most people would consider them to (with poorly maintained construction sites being a huge source of fine dust leakage, along with microplastics and heavy metals). Lastly, the burning of forest areas and farmland presents a significant problem to northern Thailand, with many cities being hit by extreme spikes of PM2.5, as were mentioned in the first question above. Whilst this is a mostly seasonal occurrence and does not happen year round, it is still one that is of major concern to both inhabitants and visitors of Changwat Udon Thani.

What are some health problems related to polluted air and smoke in Changwat Udon Thani?

With PM2.5 numbers going as high as the previously mentioned 81.6 μg/m³, as well as numbers that were regularly going over 40 μg/m³ in mid-January of 2021, there would be a number of health issues to take into consideration. Of note is that the higher the PM2.5 number is, the greater the chance of an illness occurring is, as well as the severity of it. But any number over the WHO's target guideline of 10 μg/m³ or less has the chance to cause adverse effects, and indeed any reading of pollution at all may affect certain people under the right conditions.

Some of these health issues that may arise include ones such as ischemic heart disease, a serious condition that can occur when the heart tissues fail to receive enough oxygen, thus damaging the tissue of the heart itself. This in turn can lead to other cardiac complications, with increased risks of heart attacks occurring, as well as arrythmias, both of which can be fatal. Damage to the lungs will also happen prior to this, with overexposure to pollutants and fine particle matters causing rapid aging of the lungs, as well as scarring of the lung tissue. This causes a reduction in full lung function, which besides reducing the quality of life amongst those who are subject to such conditions, can also leave people vulnerable to further respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an umbrella term that includes with it several more conditions, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema and aggravated asthma attacks.

What can Changwat Udon Thani do to improve its air quality?

In order to improve pollution levels, there are a number of things that can be implemented in order to get results. Not only have these been demonstrated by other countries, but the mass lockdowns that occurred over 2020 due to Covid-19 showed just how powerful of a polluting force vehicles alone are, or in a broader term the mass movement of both people and goods via vehicles and other fuel based forms of transport. The removal, or rather the gradual phasing out of unclean fuels as well as fossil ones such as diesel would go a long way in cleaning up ambient pollution readings throughout Changwat Udon Thani. Hand in hand with this is also the enforcement of stricter vehicle standards on the roads, and although this is a feat that is very hard to accomplish in more rural areas, if it were to be implemented to a degree it could also see some reduction in pollutive output from ancient and poor conditioned motors and engines.

Other initiatives would be to hold both individuals and businesses accountable for the polluting actions. Higher charges or jail time imposed on people who set fire to excessive amounts of organic waste or refuse can be put into play, along with emission caps on factories and businesses that release smoke and haze into the air. Finally, the proper enforcement of stopping slash and burn farming methods would be one of the biggest ways in which Changwat Udon Thani could see massive reductions in its pollution levels in the earlier months of the year. Whilst these practices are already deemed illegal, the lack of enforcement allows them to continue unabated, with the disastrous consequences to both the environment and people’s health that come along with them.

What are some of the main pollutants found in Changwat Udon Thani?

Pollutants found throughout Changwat Udon Thani vary in number and type depending on location and what industrial or pollution causing activity is going on in close proximity. Whilst many forms of pollution share overlaps with each other, generally they can be attributed to several main sources, with primary pollutants being ones that are produced from a single source such as a fire, a vehicle engine or a coal combustion tank in a factory or power plant, and secondary ones being created in the atmosphere as a combination of different primary pollutants coming together to form novel compounds.

Some examples of these two types are ones such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Both of these find a majority of their origin from vehicle fumes and emissions, and can both contribute heavily to instances of acid rain as well as aggravating the lung tissues of those who inhale them. Others include heavy metals such as mercury and lead, as well as dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls. Fine particulate matter can include ground silica and other various types of dust, released from a variety of sources such as construction or repair sites.