
The Ministry of Public Health will propose encouraging people across the country to work from home next week, after levels of PM2.5 ultrafine dust pollution exceeded safe levels in almost every province on Tuesday, with the worst recorded in Greater Bangkok.
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said the ministry would convene a meeting on Wednesday to devise measures to deal with the growing crisis.
Proposed strategies include a nationwide work-from-home policy, which will be proposed to the cabinet meeting next week.
Mr Somsak believes that if government agencies adopt the policy, the private sector will follow suit.
He cited a study from the University of Chicago that determined that prolonged exposure to PM2.5 levels exceeding 37.5 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³) can shorten a person’s life expectancy by about a year.
With levels this year projected to remain high, people are urged to wear N95 masks for optimum protection, the minister said.
According to data collected by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) on Tuesday, critically unhealthy PM2.5 levels were recorded across Bangkok.
The worst-hit district, Nong Khaem, recorded a level 146.5µg/m³.
With unsafe levels in the capital expected to persist over the next few days, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has introduced three key measures.
The first one is working from home. City Hall originally recommended it for the first two days of the week but it may be extended to Friday if high pollution levels persist.
According to the BMA, about 200 companies and 100,000 employees had adopted work-from-home arrangements, which helped reduce traffic by 8% when they were adopted last year.
Another measure is the designation of low-emission zones (LEZs). As part of this, trucks with six or more wheels are banned from the Ratchadaphisek area when red levels of PM2.5 are recorded and are expected to remain high for at least the two following days.
Exceptions include electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles and vehicles registered on the Green List.
The last measure involves the temporary closure of BMA schools, with four schools having now transitioned to online classes.
The Pollution Control Department has warned that air quality nationwide will likely remain poor until Friday due to stagnant air and agricultural burning.
The most recent reports showed unsafe PM2.5 levels in 70 of 77 provinces. Greater Bangkok is the most affected, with adjacent Samut Sakhon recording the highest level at 144.8.
Only seven provinces — Phangnga, Surat Thani, Chumphon, Krabi, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son — reported dust levels lower than the government’s safe threshold of 37.5.