It’s difficult to breathe due to smoke from fires in northern Thailand, and at least one hospital in Chiang Mai claims to have reached “full ward capacity” due to the number of patients who are presenting with respiratory problems as a result of breathing air pollution.
Thailand has long struggled with air pollution, which is mostly brought on by congested roads, particularly in Bangkok.
Yet, this year saw a significant increase in pollution levels due to massive crop burning and forest fires that occurred throughout the traditional slash-and-burn farming season from December to April.
Chiang Mai was predicted to be the most polluted city in the world for at least seven days in a row by the Air Quality Index (AQI), a Swiss company that monitors air quality throughout the world. Millions of foreign tourists visit Thailand’s key transportation and tourism center Chiang Mai each year, and April is close to the end of the busiest travel period.
K Preecha, a local café owner in Chiang Mai, told CNN that since January, the air had gotten “strong and foul” and was now “increasingly toxic and unhealthy to breathe.”
It’s almost April, yet things have gotten worse because there hasn’t been any progress and so many people have become ill, he claimed. The idea of breathing air that will kill you is frightening. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Thailand’s space agency, captured and released satellite photographs in late March that indicated 5,572 fire hot spots — “the highest in 5 years,” according to the organization.
On March 28, the Thai government announced that 1.7 million people nationwide were now being harmed by air pollution, including those with eye infections, skin rashes, and respiratory illnesses.
Many people seeking medical attention
During January and March, more than 12,000 individuals in Chiang Mai sought medical attention for respiratory conditions, according to a statement from Chiang Mai University’s Maharaj Nakorn Hospital.
But, the hospital has been having trouble keeping up with the large number of patients who are seeking treatment for illnesses like emphysema, a dangerous lung condition that causes shortness of breath, conjunctivitis, asthma, and upper respiratory infections.
Fire tore through Nakhorn Nayok in central Thailand for several days last week, devouring two mountains and spreading to Khao Nang Dam, a national park. The flames were ultimately put out on Sunday after helicopters were dispatched to douse them.
The Maharaj Nakorn Hospital released a statement saying, “The smoke problem has occurred in every region of the north, particularly in Chiang Mai where air pollution (levels) of PM 2.5 are continuously rising and this has damaged people’s health.” PM 2.5, often known as fine particulate matter, is composed of microscopic particles with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers. The particles are thought to be especially dangerous because they are small enough to get deep inside the lungs and circulatory system. They contain pollutants like sulfate, nitrates, and black carbon. Exposure to these particles has been related to lung and heart conditions and can harm the immune system and cognitive processes.
The Maharaj Nakorn Hospital statement said, “There are patients who can’t be accepted for medical treatment… due to continuing full capacity of patients’ wards.”
However, Pannawich Chantaklang, a physician at Chiang Mai’s Nakornping Hospital, stated that although the number of patients with air pollution-related illnesses had been “high,” it was still normal for the time of year. “The number of people undergoing treatment connected to air pollution is increased, but we haven’t been overrun; we can still take on additional patients,” he said.
“Based on data we’ve gathered over the last three years, the number should steadily decline as April comes to a close… We shall, nonetheless, keep a close eye on the issue.
Air pollution has been shown to have negative consequences and a long-lasting influence by medical professionals and health organizations.
Air pollution is nevertheless a “concerning public health issue, with the potential to cause premature death,” according to the WHO.
Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute in London concluded in a 2022 study that air pollution is a bigger danger to life expectancy than smoking.
