Air pollution clinics bound for the North

Air pollution clinics bound for the North

Ministry to follow up on Bangkok trial

A scenic view of Mae Hong Son. All flights to the northern city have been cancelled until at least election day. (FB/maehongsonpawshop)
A scenic view of Mae Hong Son. All flights to the northern city have been cancelled until at least election day. (FB/maehongsonpawshop)

The Ministry of Public Health will open more air pollution clinics in affected areas, according to Dr Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent secretary at the ministry.

It currently operates one such clinic at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok's Min Buri district.

More will soon pop up "in regions and provinces with a severe pollution problem", Dr Sukhum said Monday after two weeks of seeing the level of PM2.5 in the North far exceed safe levels.

The ministry provided patient statistics for eight provinces in the region.

Some 22,000 people were admitted to state health facilities and provincial hospitals in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Phayao, Phrae, Nan, Lamphun and Lampang provinces, according to Dr Kajornsak Kaewjaras from March 3-9, the ministry figures showed.

Most were elderly people, children and pregnant women, as well as patients suffering from allergies, the ministry said.

Almost half reported respiratory problems including asthma, irritated eyes and skin rashes. The bulk of the rest had a cardiovascular disease.

PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, about 3% that of a human hair.

Such matter can lodge in the lungs and enter blood vessels, leading to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. This fine dust comes from burning fossil fuels as well as forest fores and open burning, all of which are rampant in the North.

According to the Pollution Control Department (PCD), PM2.5 in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai has been three times higher than the safety standard recently.

On Monday, it stood at 159 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³). The official safety standard is 50 µg/m³.

Public campaigners have asked the PCD to adopt tougher standards for PM2.5 in line with those used by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Thailand considers 50 µg/m³ a day and 25 µg/m³ a year to be safe, while the WHO's corresponding numbers are 50 and 10.

"Adjusting to a safer level would mean state agencies have to do more work in reducing air pollution, which would benefit public health," said Chonlatorn Wongrussamee, who initiated a campaign on Change.org several months ago. Some 26,660 have signed the petition.

The campaign also calls for an increase in the rate of green space per person, up from 6.4 sq km now in Bangkok to 9 sq km per person in line with international standards.

Studies suggest doing this could absorb almost a quarter of the capital's air pollutants.

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