FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Alarmingly high PM2.5 level found inside Chiang Mai air-pollution safe zone, but problem quickly res

Alarmingly high PM2.5 level found inside Chiang Mai air-pollution safe zone, but problem quickly res

Chiang Mai’s air-pollution safe zone was not truly safe, a medical lecturer revealed on Monday, as the level of PM2.5 very fine particles was found to be very high even inside the designated area.

The problem was, however, resolved later in the day.
Dr Rungsrit Kanjanavanit, a lecturer in medicine at Chiang Mai University, posted a picture of him holding a portable PM2.5-measuring device, which read the level of PM2.5 inside a designated air-pollution safe zone at Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre and showed a shockingly unhealthy level of AQI (Air Quality Index) 172, or 98 micrograms (mcg) per cubic metre of air.
Even though the measured level of PM2.5 inside the safe zone was considerably lower than the PM2.5 level outside, which reached as high as 292mcg, according to the Pollution Control Department’s (PCD) air-quality measuring system as of Monday afternoon, such a high indoor PM2.5 concentration is far higher than both Thailand’s and the World Health Organisation’s safe standards, and is considered very harmful to health.
According to the PCD’s standard for safe air, the PM2.5 level must be lower than 50mcg, while the safe level for PM2.5 as per the WHO’s standard is even stricter, at below 25mcg.
“I think the problem is the size of the room is too big for the air purifier to properly filter out PM2.5 from the air inside the room,” Rungsrit said, adding, “I have already notified the officers about this problem.”
However, later on Monday, Paskorn Champrasert from Chiang Mai University’s Centre of Excellence in Natural Disaster Management moved in to fix the problem.
The expert confirmed at 6pm that the safe zone had been returned to a PM2.5 dust level below the safety limit.
Chiang Mai Governor Supachai Iamsuwan on Friday had ordered the creation of safe zones in every district of the province, to serve as places of refuge for people to seek shelter from the very hazardous smog situation outside. 
The safe zone for Chiang Mai city has already opened for the public at Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Due to the very serious smog situation and the nature of PM2.5 dust particles, PM2.5 can pollute the air quality inside houses and other buildings very easily, especially if the buildings have no air purification system installed. 
The indoor PM2.5 level could reach 50 to 75 per cent of the level of PM2.5 outside as a result.

RELATED
nationthailand