January 27, 2025
BANGKOK – BMA deputy permanent secretary Sunthorn Sunthornchart said this move came as PM2.5 (fine particulate dust) in the capital reached unsafe levels for many consecutive days, causing the number of patients affected by air pollution to increase.
As City Hall should monitor PM2.5’s impact on health closely, the public-health emergency response centre was opened to mitigate the situation’s impact with cooperation from several agencies, he explained.
He said Public Health Centres across the capital have been ordered to launch mobile units to assist people, especially the vulnerable. Hospitals under the BMA, meanwhile, have been ordered to take care of people’s health amid air pollution, he added.
Sunthorn advised Bangkokians in areas where the PM2.5 reached unsafe levels above 75.1 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) to shut doors and windows, avoid outdoor activity, and wear facemasks if they have to go outdoors.
Vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, pregnant women and those who develop allergies, asthma, pink eyes and cardiovascular disease should observe their health, he said.
People who develop symptoms like coughing or eye irritation or have trouble breathing should see a physician, he added.
The air quality in all of Bangkok’s metropolitan areas exceeded safety standards on Saturday morning, the BMA’s Air Quality Information Centre said.
The centre reported the average PM2.5 levels throughout the city on Saturday at 73.4µg/m3, nearly double the country’s standard of 37.5µg/m3 over a three-hour average (5am to 7am).
PM2.5 refers to dust particles 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, long-term exposure to which is linked with chronic diseases including lung and heart problems.
Major sources of PM2.5 include traffic emissions, factories, forest fires, and burning of harvest leftovers.