• The situation of PM 2.5 dust levels continues to rise.

    This has a wide range of effects and is dangerous to health.

    Until the question arises, how will we live together?

    In taking care of yourself and preventing yourself from getting sick because of PM 2.5 dust, in addition to causing body irritation, burning eyes, nose pain, sore throat, coughing, having phlegm to chest tightness

    and weaken the immune system

    The risk of lung cancer was also increased by 1.1 times among non-smokers and in low dust areas.



  • The source of PM 2.5 dust in Bangkok and its vicinity is caused by up to 53% of traffic, 21% from industrial factories, and 13% from open burning.

    Caused by open burning and forest fires.

    and the southern area

    caused by cross-border pollution, such as forest fires in neighboring countries

    The problem must be controlled.

    Both detecting black smoke cars

    factory pollution inspection

    Manage burning and forest fires

    Promote the use of electric trains

    and the use of mathematical models

    to assess and predict the PM 2.5 situation in advance



  • Although PM 2.5 dust affects the health of all people.

    But people may be affected differently by inequalities.

    To access air quality information and knowledge

    causing the public to not be aware of the pollution level information

    and not receiving proper advice.

    including disparities in access to protective equipment between urban and rural areas.

    Especially N95 masks and air purifiers that are expensive.

    Because the government cares about people in Bangkok.

    or in big cities than people in other provinces

Inhaling dust can affect health.

both immediate and long-term

"Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nithipat Chiarakul" Head of Respiratory and Tuberculosis

Siriraj Hospital

stated in an online academic conference titled "How We Live During the PM 2.5 Dust Crisis" that inhaling the dust will cause the body to cause irritation, burning eyes, nose, sore throat, coughing with phlegm to chest tightness.

weakened immune system

Makes it more likely to get infected.

Elderly people and people with chronic diseases

When exposed to dust, there will be more symptoms than normal people.

And cause the underlying disease to have an exacerbation Risk groups include children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases, including lungs, heart, brain and kidneys, so should not go outside.

PM 2.5 dust increases the risk of lung cancer 1.1 times that of non-smokers.

“The long-term effect is a dark threat that we cannot see.

deteriorate lung function

Heart ischemia, cerebral ischemia, kidney failure, and pregnant women will result in abnormal development of the fetus when born.

The development of the lungs and brain is not growing properly.

Causing the nation's adults in the next 10-15 years to have weak lungs

and this group of people when they get older

may be a burden on the country's health system

And what we fear the most is causing cancer.

especially lung cancer

In foreign countries, there is information that clearly confirms that

People living in areas with high PM 2.5 dust have a higher risk of lung cancer than normal people.

data from Taiwan

There was a study of women who did not smoke and lived in areas with PM 2.5 dust higher than 30 micrograms per cubic meter for 10 years. The risk of lung cancer was about 10% or 1.1 times that of non-smokers and living in in areas where the amount of dust is low

How to prevent when exposed to PM 2.5 dust

1. If you need to go out to an area with high dust content

Should wear clothing that covers the skin enough.

and wearing an effective hygienic mask

when returning to the residence

Need to quickly get rid of the remaining dust so that it will not be absorbed into the body by taking a shower and changing clothes.

Some people who have touched the dust have a burning nose.

The nose must be washed with saline.

2. Provide dust protection equipment in the residence such as air purifiers. If not available, doors and windows should be closed to prevent dust, turn on fans, and wear protective masks.

3. Wearing a hygienic mask

The mask can prevent 50% of dust, and if wearing double masks, it can prevent about 60% of dust. The N95 mask, which can prevent 95% of dust, is suitable for people who need to be outside or outdoors all the time, such as people. to perform public service duties

4. Exercising during high dust levels

should exercise indoors

And it should be a moderate level, such as jogging, swimming or aerobics, with lung and heart function not too much.

5. Carry an air quality meter

Or use an application to report an air quality index, but the app may have limitations that are not real-time and do not cover some areas if the level is 50-100 micrograms per cubic meter.

will begin to affect health

Especially the risk group and the level of 101-200 micrograms per cubic meter.

will have an impact on health

“Traffic”, the main culprit of PM 2.5 dust in Bangkok

While "Dr. Ekkabodin Winijkul" Faculty of Environment, Resources and Development

Asian Institute of Technology mentioned the source of air pollution in Thailand that

In Bangkok and its vicinity, 53% was caused by traffic, 21% by industrial factories, and 13% by open burning.

Caused by open burning and forest fires.

and in the southern region

caused by cross-border pollution, such as forest fires in neighboring countries

The best way to manage air quality is to manage it at the source.

Those who create pollution must manage it.

By using academic tools to measure air quality by standard methods and report the results to the public.

both measuring pollution and enforcing emission standards

Creating an emissions inventory to show the sources of pollution in different areas.

Including source control such as black smoke vehicle detection

factory pollution inspection

Manage burning and forest fires

Promote the use of electric trains

and the use of mathematical models

To assess the effectiveness of measures to reduce pollution.

and predict the situation of PM 2.5 in advance

N95 masks are expensive, rural people can't buy them.

clearly see the disparity

The impact of toxic dust on urban and rural people is not equal.

on the other hand

"Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanuengnit

Sri Bua Iam, an expert on environmental law

Faculty of Law

Chulalongkorn University

and team leader in drafting the Clean Air Act

The edition of the Clean Air Network Thailand considers that PM 2.5 dust affects the health of all people.

But people may be disproportionately affected by inequalities, including disparities in access to information and air quality knowledge.

causing the public to not be aware of the pollution level information

and not receiving proper advice.

disparity of access to protective equipment

Especially N95 masks and air purifiers that are expensive.

and the disparity between the city and the countryside

Because the government cares about people in Bangkok.

or in big cities than people in other provinces

The main reason that obstructs the prevention and solution of pollution problems is that the existing laws are inadequate.

Existing laws are outdated.

Lack of public participation

and structural problems of various organizations

that operate on a bipartisan environmental basis under each law that empowers

The root of the problem, which is structural violence, is that the government pays more attention to economic growth than the impact on people's health.

Then Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nithipat

has concluded that

When people understand and realize the problem of PM 2.5 dust and its impact on health

know how to protect yourself

and participate in reducing the problem.

Not a source of dust

There is integration of all sectors.

to solve long-term problems

both the enforcement of legal measures

to control the source of dust

and the deployment of technology that is consistent with the country's context

will cause a sustainable solution to PM 2.5 dust problems.

Author : Purnima