Expat Life in Thailand
  • Home
  • Food / Drink
    • Food and Drink Thailand
    • Food and Drink Bangkok
    • Food and Drink Pattaya
    • Food and Drink Hua Hin
    • Food and Drink Chiang Mai
  • Health / Beauty
  • Education
  • Travel / Leisure
    • Book Reviews
    • Activities and Adventure
    • Hotels and accommodation
    • Art and Culture
    • Lifestyle
  • Online Magazines
  • Home
  • Food / Drink
    • Food and Drink Thailand
    • Food and Drink Bangkok
    • Food and Drink Pattaya
    • Food and Drink Hua Hin
    • Food and Drink Chiang Mai
  • Health / Beauty
  • Education
  • Travel / Leisure
    • Book Reviews
    • Activities and Adventure
    • Hotels and accommodation
    • Art and Culture
    • Lifestyle
  • Online Magazines
Expat Life in Thailand

H.E. Mrs. Orna Sagiv Ambassador of Israel to Thailand

In July last year, H.E. Mrs. Orna Sagiv arrived in Phuket for 14 day quarantine and immediately resumed the duty…

Read more

H.E. Mr. Jose Borges dos Santos Junior, The Brazilian Ambassador to Thailand

In September last year, H.E. Mr. Jose Borges dos Santos Junior, Ambassador of the Embassy of Brazil to the Kingdom…

Read more

H.E. Mrs. C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne The Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand

February 4th marks the Independence Day of Sri Lanka. Expat Life sat down with H.E. Mrs. C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne, the…

Read more

H.E. Mr. David Daly the European Ambassador to Thailand

Expat Life in Thailand were honoured to sit down and talk to the new European Union Ambassador David Daly. Personally,…

Read more
News and Event

Black Caviar: An exquisite delicacy

Black Caviar is one of the world’s most exquisite and exotic foods. Fish roe that is from a sturgeon is considered…

Read more

SIMON LANDY’S INTERVIEW

We speak today to Simon Landy MBE, a long term resident of Thailand, highly successful real estate executive and property…

Read more

H.E. Mr. Mark Gooding the British Ambassador to Thailand

Expat Life had the pleasure of sitting down with H.E. Mark Gooding the British Ambassador to Thailand and discuss his…

Read more
Hotels and accommodationTravel and Leisure

Movenpick Resort Khao Yai

I write this from the terrace of what could be a castle in a fairytale. A German Palace in the…

Read more

H.E. Mr. Lindsay Kimwole Kiptiness, The Kenyan Ambassador to Thailand

Thailand and Kenya have enjoyed cordial ties and close cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1967. Kenya opened its…

Read more
News and Event

German ambassador visits CDSC Forest in Chiang Mai

On the 19th of November 2021, the German ambassador to Thailand Mr. Georg Schmidt visited the CDSC Forest in Mae…

Read more
Travel and Leisure

Hospitality industry… where your workplace is your home

The Covid-19 epidemic has affected everyone on the planet. It continues to do so and will impact the way we…

Read more

Expat Life French Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Mr. Thierry Mathou

Expat Life were honoured to have the opportunity to interview the French Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Mr. Thierry Mathou please…

Read more

Clear the air for your family’s health Bangkok’s winter haze and the hazards of air pollution

by Tina Haskins Chadha March 6, 2021
written by Tina Haskins Chadha March 6, 2021

If we can see a glimmer of positivity from the past year as the world grappled with the COVID-19 global pandemic, one can rank widespread acceptance of masks as a method to protect our health and those around us. Many of us have incredibly spent the last 12 months wearing facial masks outside of our home seven days a week. Young and old, we are all masked warriors doing our best to stay healthy. 2020 certainly saw the mask and mask accessory industry explode like never before. 2021 and it appears that necessity will continue long into the year. We have taken this step diligently as a way to help protect our health and halt the spread of COVID-19. What we have also accomplished by default is countless hours of cleaner air making its way into our lungs. The right mask that fits well helps protect us from Covid-19 and protects our lungs from the toxic pollutants that are in the air. 

Over the past decade, I became uniquely and alarmingly acquainted with the hazards of air pollution on human health. Like a toxic friendship you just can’t shake, even short term exposure to dirty air lingers on the mind and manifests across the body with nagging coughs, dull headaches and irritation of eyes and throat. The worry of air pollution on our health over these past years became so great it yielded personal action for me. In the early 2010’s, I helped co-found an air pollution awareness and advocacy group called Care for Air. By 2016, my family had literally moved to another country, in large part, due to our search for cleaner, healthier air. I suspect we will not be alone in the years ahead to what may be a tidal wave of air pollution expatriates.

Today we know air pollution is on the rise globally. According to the World Health Organisation more than 80% of city residents around the world are exposed to particulate pollution at unsafe levels. Seven million people are killed prematurely each year by air pollution in both rich and poor countries. Sadly, Thailand is no stranger to air pollution and it’s not just Bangkok. Chiang Mai ranks among the top regions for exceedingly high levels of hazardous air. Saraburi, Chonburi and Samut Sakhon unfortunately also join this list. The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) by the University of Chicago shows long term exposure to fine particulate pollution is shortening the average Thai’s life expectancy by more than two years. In the most polluted areas that number grows to four years of reduced life expectancy. The AQLI found that 87% of Thailand’s 68 million residents are exposed to air pollution levels exceeding WHO guidelines. This public health crisis of dangerous and toxic air hits children, the elderly and the most vulnerable people hardest. It is estimated that 10-15% of children in Thailand suffer from asthma.

 So, what is going on with Bangkok’s air? In recent years, there have been some improvements. Yet still the problem persists with air pollution levels reaching highest levels over the winter and drier months. Seasonal weather patterns and human activities combine to make the winter months here in Thailand particularly bad. Compounding that – Bangkok is not a very windy city. The lack of wind is problematic in the cooler months as PM 2.5 pollution particles build in the air and there is not enough wind to disperse them. The cooler temperatures cause an inversion effect which results in the air pollution stagnating for days at a time. Thailand’s air pollution problem comes from a combination of vehicular emissions, biomass burning, agriculture and industrial emissions, among other factors. Our location on our planet even plays a role in exacerbating this problem. A recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill revealed that effectively where air pollution comes from is as important as how much is emitted. Air pollution generated in the areas closer to the equator where there is more heat and light yield more ozone than regions farther from the equator. That unfortunately puts SE Asia squarely in this hot zone.

Whether we know it or not, air pollution is shaping our lives. But we can get educated and take better ownership of the air we breathe to protect ourselves and to ensure we do not become major contributors. The problem of toxic air will not go away without sustained efforts – large and small.  So, what can we do on an individual level to reduce our own personal air pollution footprint? Well a lot it turns out. Small changes at home snowball. The air around us improves and our example begins to set in motion a collective responsibility.  

So, starting today, why not proudly become a clean air ambassador: 

  1. Wheels matter:
    Go on two wheels when possible! Bike around town if that is safe in your area. If you own a motorcycle or diesel car, consider switching on your next trade-in or purchase to a hybrid or petrol vehicle. In the meantime, reduce your emissions by ensuring your car isn’t the one idling for long periods in the driveway, at markets or school. For all vehicles, turn the engine off when not in motion.

When it comes to getting around, consider walking, biking, or public transport when possible. 

  1. Check readings daily and avoid outdoor aerobic activities during peak air pollution times.

Air pollution levels tend to be highest during early morning and evening hours. Sadly, this is also when temperatures are most pleasant for outdoor exercise, especially when wearing a mask. Check air pollution readings via your phone app, like IQ Air or Air Visual, before taking that power walk or run outside.  

  1. Become a compost convert! Dispose of garden waste eco-friendly
    Learn how to compost and organise a neighbourhood composting group. Food from dinner leftovers to inedible waste like eggshells and garden waste can be composted which helps nourish the soil and in turn reduces what goes into landfills. Think it won’t make a difference, well, consider this: Organic waste (food and garden waste) in landfills generates methane which is a potent greenhouse gas. Compost can also capture and destroy a significant portion of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air. 

  1. Clean green air inside your home 

For most of us, the majority of our time is spent indoors, whether at home, work or now virtual school. Indoor air it turns out is as polluted, sometimes more so, than outdoor air. The air inside is compromised by both external pollutants (PM 2.5, ozone) that come in through every window and open door, as well as indoor air generated toxins (benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, ammonia and trichloroethylene) from paints, varnish, leathers, plastics and more. These indoor air pollutants are linked to headaches, eye irritation, dizziness and more. The good news is we have some natural remedies at hand. The use of several plants can dramatically improve our indoor air. 

NASA’s 1989 Clean Air Study set out to find the best ways to naturally clean the air in space stations. The result? They also determined the best plants to purify your indoor air at home. The Spider Plant, Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, Peace Lily, Dracaena and Chrysanthemum make great natural air filters and they are pretty hardy for those of us who are not natural green thumbs. NASA research suggests at least one plant per 100 square feet of home or work space. 


Learn more about air pollution causes and solutions. Join clean air movements such as www.careforair.org. Sate safe and healthy from air pollution and Covid-19.

(Visited 6 times, 1 visits today)
Did you like this article? Become a Patron and help us bring you great content in the future!
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Tina Haskins Chadha

Tina Haskins Chadha - Clean air advocate and co-founder of Care for Air (www.careforair.org), an independent awareness and advocacy organization based in India.  Tina originally hails from New York City where she lived and worked before moving to Southeast Asia. She spent 15 years as a communication and brand strategist for some of the world’s most respected consumer brands. In 2009, she began expat life, first in New Delhi, India, by 2016 in Bangkok. She has felt the impact of air pollution within her own family and was struck by the lack of awareness and constructive data available to the general public. She believes the air we breathe is the ultimate democratizer and that clean air must be accessible to all. Through her work with Care for Air, an independent, not for profit awareness and advocacy organization, the power of many came together to make a difference in growing community awareness and engagement on this critical issue.  

previous post
Meet the Heads (Years 5 to 10)
next post
Foods and wines from Chile

THE SYMPTOMS, SEVERITY, AND TRANSMISSIBILITY OF THE TWO STRAINS.  

April 26, 2022

Why root cause medicine is so important: Traditional Chinese...

February 4, 2022

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

January 28, 2022

DELTA VS OMICORN

January 24, 2022

April-May 2021 Issue

EXPAT LIFE IN THAILAND FACEBOOK

Facebook

EXPAT LIFE IN THAILAND INSTAGRAM

Categories

  • Breast Cancer (2)
  • Education (278)
  • Expat Life (86)
  • Fashion (51)
  • Fiction (8)
  • Food and Drink (123)
  • Green (20)
  • Health and Beauty (306)
  • Interview (38)
  • Jobs & Internships (12)
  • Lifestyle (338)
  • Love and Relationship (96)
    • Family (62)
  • Magazine (16)
  • News and Event (622)
    • Updates (115)
  • NGO (26)
  • Poem (5)
  • Travel and Leisure (647)
    • Activities and Adventure (105)
    • Art and Culture (140)
    • Book Reviews (43)
    • Hotels and accommodation (84)
  • Uncategorised (64)
  • Women's Group (13)

Copyright @ 2021 - ExpatLife in Thailand Magazine | All Rights Reserved

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in articles posted on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Expat Life in Thailand magazine. Links to other web sites do not imply an endorsement of the materials disseminated at those websites, nor does the existence of a link to another site imply that the organisation or person publishing at that site endorses any of the materials at this site.