"dust"

A dust storm swept across much of Iraq on Monday, sending more than 2,000 people to hospitals with respiratory problems and forcing the closure of airports, schools and some government offices.

Korea on Sunday was blanketed by dangerous levels of ultrafine dust expected to persist until at least Monday, which prompted the government to issue emergency reduction measures for the first time this year.

With cool-to-cold weather upon us and changing air pressure as well as more people travelling, the dust problem is returning, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday after a meeting with the Committee on Occupational Disease Control and Environmental Diseases.

Bangkokians should prepare for PM2.5 dust (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) during the cooler season from December to February, while real-time air quality information can be checked via websites and a phone application, the governor said on Wednesday.

The Pollution Control Department said the PM2.5 dust situation is presently at the standard level of 5-27 mcg/cu across Thailand.

Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Engineering, in collaboration with PTT, has come up with a new three-layer face mask that provides protection from both fine dust particles and Covid-19.

An extraordinarily strong yellow dust storm originating from the inland deserts in northern China blanketed all of South Korea on Monday, prompting authorities to issue a yellow dust warning for Seoul and almost all parts of the country.

Air pollution in 18 provinces hit unsafe levels on Tuesday morning, according to the Pollution Control Department’s Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation.

Air pollution in 52 districts around Bangkok and its vicinity hit unsafe levels on Wednesday morning, with PM2.5 readings coming in at 52 to 83 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), the Pollution Control Department reported.

Air pollution in three areas in and around Bangkok hit unsafe levels on Monday, with PM2.5 readings in the morning coming in at between 29 and 71 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3), the Pollution Control Department reported.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has said it will put in place strict measures to deal with air pollution, which hit dangerous levels in several parts of the capital and its vicinity on Friday.

Air pollution in 11 areas in Bangkok and its vicinity hit unsafe levels on Friday morning with PM2.5 readings coming in at 44 to 111 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), the Pollution Control Department reported.