Outdoor fires blamed for Chiang Mai, Lamphun air pollution crisis
Air pollution in Chiang Mai and Lamphun - mainly from outdoor burning - had reached a critical level, Chiang Mai University (CMU) researchers said yesterday.
The large amount of fine particle dust had lead to a rising number of patients with respiratory diseases, lung cancer and allergies, they said. Dean of CMU's Faculty of Science, assistant prof Mongkon Rayanakorn, said air pollution research in the two provinces from 2004 to 2006 found that air quality during the dry seasons was at levels adversely affecting local people's health. Dust particles of 10 microns and 2.5 microns found at certain times of the day were two times higher than the standard air quality. 10-micron dust levels were 140-277 micrograms per square metre (mpsm), while the 2.5-micron level was 47-67 mpsm. This compared to the standard 120 mpsm and 35 mpsm, respectively. The findings have raised fears that 10-micron-sized particles could reach a person's respiratory path and larynx, while the 2.5-micron particles could reach the human alveoli and not be exhaled, Mongkon said. Such fine-particle dust could carry other toxic substances into the body that could be carcinogenic, or cause gene mutation, infections and respiratory diseases, he said. Associate Professor Dr Pongthep Wiwanthanadech said his separate study on the impact of fine-particle dust on asthmatics in Chiang Mai and Lamphun also found that 10-micron particles carried a severe carcinogen - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - that came from burning dried grass and leaves, and cooking fires. Such fine-particle dust had a direct impact and had triggered more severe attacks in asthmatics and heart disease patients, he said. The statistics also revealed the number of patients with respiratory diseases was rising every year, while the number lung patients in Chiang Mai had surpassed those in Bangkok, Pongthep said. He cited a Pollution Control Department report that 40 to 80 per cent of such fine-particle dust came from outdoor fires, while the rest came from diesel-engine vehicle emissions, cooking fires and other sources. Pongthep urged local administrators and related agencies to deal with the problem. The researchers said that in the short-term, air-pollution controls must be imposed and all outdoor fires banned. The long-term focus should be on setting air-quality standards in Chiang Mai and Lamphun, launching measures for air-quality control during the dry season and closely watching risk areas, they said. The Nation CHIANG MAI
|
