Air quality in Tha Yang

What are the air pollution levels like in Tha Yang?

Tha Yang is a city located in Phetchaburi Province, in the western region of Thailand. As of late August, and early September of 2021, Tha Yang was seen to have US AQI readings of 21, 30 and many other figures that placed it within the 'good' air quality rating bracket.

This is the most optimal air quality rating that can be achieved, and indicates that in this period of the year, Tha Yang has a very respectable level of air cleanliness. However, these can be subject to change, and the more polluted times of the year will usually make themselves present in the following months towards the end of the year, as well as continuing on into the earlier months of the following year.

As such, it can be seen that Tha Yang has a very good level of air quality for many months of the year, but certain months will warrant much more precaution, particularly amongst vulnerable members of the population. These months will be discussed towards the end of the article, and of note is that burning season can cause the air quality to decrease significantly in Tha Yang.

What is causing polluted air to occur in Tha Yang?

A large number of the main contributing factors to poorer air quality in Tha Yang are ones that are typically found throughout the rest of Asia and other cities worldwide. However, in a large number of Asian cities, these exist on a much more noticeable scale due to less stringent measures in place regarding emission standards, as well as heavy development still taking place as certain cities continue to expand.

These emissions would be ones coming from vehicles, with the fumes of the many engines permeating the air city, with many vehicles moving in and out daily, all causing the year-round ambient levels of air pollution to rise. Large quantities of microscopic or ultrafine rubber particles are also released into the atmosphere from the gradual wear and tear of tire treads that they are subject to with usage over time. Cars, motorbikes and larger freight vehicles such as trucks and lorries all contributing to the phenomenon.

Such fine particles can also fall onto the soil, as well as into nearby bodies of water, causing ecological and environmental damage, as well as polluting the air and causing danger to those that breathe said particles.

Other prominent causes would come from the factories and power plants, whose own combustion processes can often lead to heightened levels of air pollution, particularly if stringent measures are not put in place to combat excessive emissions.

The main source of the massive spikes in air pollution seen throughout Thailand, however, comes from the farmland and forest area fires that are a consistent problem in the country, but more so in the northern regions.

Due to its location in the western region of Thailand, Tha Yang may also see slash and burn farming occur, but to a significantly smaller degree. Smoke from open burning sites in adjacent provinces can potentially drift over to Tha Yang. This also affects many other cities in the nearby region, causing the number of fine particles and chemical compounds in the air to rise significantly.

With the absence of strong winds during certain times of the year, Tha Yang can have its air pollution levels spike up by a considerable, as the large amounts of haze, smoke and other contaminating particles start to rise to more dangerous levels, as shown on the PM2.5 and US AQI ratings system.

What health problems arise from poor air quality in Tha Yang?

Exposure to higher levels of air pollution can bring about many hazardous illnesses and conditions, particularly to certain people who fall into the sensitive demographics group.

Of note is that even healthier adults can succumb to the ill effects of air pollution, particularly when exposure is excessive, or takes place over a longer period (prominent for those who live near highly polluted areas such as industrial districts or near busy roads, whereby the air quality will be of lower quality for a majority of the year).

Some conditions that can appear as a result of exposure are short-term ones such as dry throat and subsequent coughs, along with chest pain and infections of the respiratory tract or mucous membranes. These can usually clear up quite rather quickly when exposure to air pollution is ceased, and as such they can be considered as more short-term or acute health issues.

However, there is a chance that they can develop into more long-term or chronic issues. Repeated chest infections and coughing leading to the scarring of lung tissue, which results in potential scarring and permanent decreases in full lung function.

In further detail, the scarring or damage and inflammation that can happen to the tissue of the lungs also makes one more at risk to a large number of respiratory distresses. Among these, ones such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will often present itself.

This is an umbrella term that refers to a variety of different lung and respiratory tract conditions, usually resulting in shortness of breath as well as making an individual at greater risk to severe damage from pollution exposure.

Some of the more serious conditions that fall under this COPD umbrella term are one such as pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema and aggravated forms of asthma. Other damage that occurs within the body includes increased cases of cancer, along with heightened risk of heart attacks, strokes and arrhythmias. Ischemic heart disease and many other cardiac or pulmonary conditions can also present themselves, all of which can drastically shorten the lifespan of those affected, as well as decreasing the quality of their life and incurring high medical expenses.

When is Tha Yang at its most polluted throughout the year?

Looking at the PM2.5 readings present in Tha Yang throughout 2020, it can be seen that it had many months with poor air quality levels. The months of October through to December are when the poorer levels of PM2.5 start to appear, as well as the months of January through to May also having higher readings.

Burning season typically starts towards the end of the year in October, and the fallout from the open burning can cause air pollution levels to stay high well into the following year. Out of all the above mentioned months, the most highly polluted were January and February, as well as November and December. These four months presented with readings of 54.4 μg/m³, 52.4 μg/m³, 36.3 μg/m³ and 40.3 μg/m³ respectively, showing that the first two months of the year had the highest pollution levels.

When is Tha Yang at its cleanest in regards to air quality?

In between the major bouts of air pollution, Tha Yang presented with significantly more optimal levels of air quality. June through to September presented with readings that all fell within the World Health Organization's (WHO's) target goal for the best level of air quality, at 10 μg/m³ or less.

These readings were 6.5 μg/m³, 6.6 μg/m³, 8.6 μg/m³ and 6.5 μg/m³ respectively, making these four months the time period in which Tha Yang was freer from contaminating clouds of smoke, haze, fine particles and other dangerous chemicals.