Air pollution in Bangkok has reached critical level

BANGKOK, 2 February 2011 (NNT) – The Pollution Control Department has reported that air pollution within Bangkok has reached a critical level while a pollution reduction plan will be drawn to tackle the problem.

Dr Wijarn Simachaya, Deputy Director General of the Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, revealed statistics from a survey of the air quality in Bangkok during 1997-2010, which suggested that dust particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter were measured at 55.3 micrograms per cubic meter per year, exceeding the normal rate of 50 micrograms by 4 percent.

The ozone level was found to be higher than the standard by 0.2 percent while volatile organic compounds (VOCs) caused by burning activities were recorded at 3.6 micrograms per cubic meter per year, as opposed to the standard of not exceeding 1.7 micrograms. Excessive noise pollution was also reported in the bustling capital city.

National News Bureau of Thailand