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Smoke, Smog, Dust 2013 Chiang Mai


Tywais

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Mapguy

PM 2.5 can be greatly reduced indoors with an Ionizer. Worth looking into.

http://www.healthyenvironments.ca/pdf/3.pdf

For the 3m filters I think a lot of people might be doing it wrong as I was. Putting the filter inside the unit over the screens lets a lot of air blow by the edges as well as sucking particles into the unit. I would recommend putting the filter on the outside and completely covering the intake vent. This way all air getting into the AC is filtered and keeps it cleaner in general. Try it out and stand in front of the air exhaust and see if one can tell with eye irritation. Different units probably slightly different hacks but some people might be doing Filtrete sub optimally and not really getting results.

The big issue with air pollution is inflammation. Some people might notice inflammation symptoms like sinus, lungs or skin but inflammation is largely silent as is the case with Arteriosclerosis. So not noticing anything is misleading.

Get a CRP (C Reactive Protein) blood test in and out of pollution season and its very noticeable elevation of inflammation markers.

Inflammation is basis of most modern diseases including cancer. It's slow process but if a person raises inflammation over time then its going to have negative consequences.

Total inflammation is result of many factors such as diet and lifestyle as well environmental challenges.

That's why when people go to the doctor and get informed of a well progressed disease they often remark. I didn't notice anything changing to lead to this.

It's slow boiling of the frog.

Edited by CobraSnakeNecktie
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'Not to throw a spanner into the conversation, but the 3M filtrate filters do not filter out PM<2.5, the really nasty stuff that is 40 - 60% of the PM<10 density.'

Not to try to extract your spanner, Mapguy, but I am surprised by this. I am not suggesting I think you are wrong, but I am quite surprised. Why? Because the simple 3M 8210 N95 particulate respirators that I use are said by 3M to filter out roughly 95% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size. And I understand that that 0.3 is in the same measurement scale as the 2.5 in 'PM<2.5'. If all that is right -- and perhaps it is not and you will explain why -- I wonder why 3M would not be able to make filtrate filters for air conditioners that are just as effective.

Also, I don't use an air conditioner, but I have two Swiss-made machines (for which their manufacturer IQAir uses the fancy term 'air cleaning systems') that use air filters and whose technical specifications say that they are approximately 99.97% effective for particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size. If IQAir can do it there, again I wonder why 3M cannot do it with filters for air conditioners.

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'Not to throw a spanner into the conversation, but the 3M filtrate filters do not filter out PM<2.5, the really nasty stuff that is 40 - 60% of the PM<10 density.'

Not to try to extract your spanner, Mapguy, but I am surprised by this. I am not suggesting I think you are wrong, but I am quite surprised. Why? Because the simple 3M 8210 N95 particulate respirators that I use are said by 3M to filter out roughly 95% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size. And I understand that that 0.3 is in the same measurement scale as the 2.5 in 'PM<2.5'. If all that is right -- and perhaps it is not and you will explain why -- I wonder why 3M would not be able to make filtrate filters for air conditioners that are just as effective.

Also, I don't use an air conditioner, but I have two Swiss-made machines (for which their manufacturer IQAir uses the fancy term 'air cleaning systems') that use air filters and whose technical specifications say that they are approximately 99.97% effective for particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size. If IQAir can do it there, again I wonder why 3M cannot do it with filters for air conditioners.

Is the wrong answer, the following from the 3M site:

The efficiency of Filtrete filters approaches that of the top-of-the-line electronic air cleaners.

"Some tests indicate that in the large particle size range (1.0-10microns), Filtrete filters are more effective. Price is a factor, too.

Top electronic units cost $500 - $800 and require monthly maintenance.Filtrete filters cost a fraction of this price, and generally only need

attention every three months"

http://www.filtrete.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/FiltreteUS/Filtrete/Resources/Faq/#a6

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'Not to throw a spanner into the conversation, but the 3M filtrate filters do not filter out PM<2.5, the really nasty stuff that is 40 - 60% of the PM<10 density.'

Not to try to extract your spanner, Mapguy, but I am surprised by this. I am not suggesting I think you are wrong, but I am quite surprised. Why? Because the simple 3M 8210 N95 particulate respirators that I use are said by 3M to filter out roughly 95% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size. And I understand that that 0.3 is in the same measurement scale as the 2.5 in 'PM<2.5'. If all that is right -- and perhaps it is not and you will explain why -- I wonder why 3M would not be able to make filtrate filters for air conditioners that are just as effective.

Also, I don't use an air conditioner, but I have two Swiss-made machines (for which their manufacturer IQAir uses the fancy term 'air cleaning systems') that use air filters and whose technical specifications say that they are approximately 99.97% effective for particles that are 0.3 microns or larger in size. If IQAir can do it there, again I wonder why 3M cannot do it with filters for air conditioners.

Ah, the 8210 N95 particulate respirator. Looks like a "Darth Vader Lite" model smile.png I was talking about the Filtrate room air conditioner "cut to fit" filter blanket you can purchase at Home Pro or such places. Check out last year's very thorough discussion of various filters. I was just recalling it all generally. There was quite a discussion. See what you think.

In the meantime, you apparently have a very good machine I am not aware of. There was quite a bit of research and discussion posted last year about those, also, as I recall.

Maybe a relatively easy way to get to those discussions is to search "HEPA."

But no air conditioners these days ?! huh.png You must be broiling in your own juices ! Or you are certainly better acclimated than I!

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Instead of everyone just talking and complaining about the air pollution can we please do something about it?

The biggest problem and most immediate fix isn't just the smoke and burning, it's the car smog pollution that is being trapped under the smoke. It is the carbon monoxide that is what is really dangerous to our health. Everyday I see at least 30 tuk-tuks, songthaew's, trucks cars and old motorbikes that have excessive black and white smoke come out of their exhaust systems.

How can we get the government to enforce smog checks of these cars/trucks?

Anyone have a list of emails that we can send suggestions and complaints to?

Anyone up for filming a documentary showing the exhaust smoke coming out of tuk-tuk's and trucks?

If you want to do something - which is good - you need to educate yourself as to the causes of the smoke.

Before you even do any research, think about it for a second. Do Tuk Tuks and cars drive only in March every year? Or do they drive all year round, regardless? Do they drive more in March than any other time? Or pretty much the same no matter what time of the year it is.

Think about it. Then you'll come to the conclusion that Tuk Tuks and cars are not the problem.

What is seasonal is the LARGE SCALE burning of forests, fields, in the entire region of northern, easter, Thailand, Burma and Laos. Check out the satellite pix.

Once you know the cause of the problem, you can start doing something. Just educate yourself first.

Nikster, I'm not an idiot. I know that burning is the cause of the smoke during burning season. However, as I stated before, it is the car pollution that is being trapped under the smoke that is most immediately hazardous to our health. The large scale burning, especially from other countries isn't something we can immediately do something about but controlling car pollution is.

Instead of everyone wasting their time complaining about the problems and smoke, let's actually do something about it.

You can start by emailing:

Office of the Consumer Protection [email protected], Office of Tourism Development - [email protected] and to Bureau of Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud - [email protected]

I also emailed TAT, the Tourism Authority and received the following response: For your information, as per Thailand's laws and regulations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will act as an intermediary only and will deliver all tourist complaints to the concerned organization. Also, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has no authority to handle this particular issue, as it is for the above departments to handle.

Another big help is if people start taking photos of car pollution and videos. Even better is if someone wants to make a documentary of, "Amazing Thailand, Ruined."

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Check it out.. They are installing mister systems on some of the popular routes for Sonkran.

http://www.cm108.com/bbb/index.php?/topic/56566-adhoaoaaeaeuouneadhoeaiaeaoa-aianeaaoui/

Hopefully if will be considered beyond the holiday because these can really improve the air when one is on the stinky roads.

I forgot to mention but last week I saw a mist truck going down the road misting

Big Yellow tank truck with a spray system along the length on top of the tank.

The weird thing is they were blazing 80-100 kph down the Airport highway while spraying.

Would think they would use it in town

Edited by mania
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re

Instead of everyone wasting their time complaining about the problems and smoke, let's actually do something about it.

they are trying to ! ... this stop burning poster was out in the boonies of doi saket this morning but as you can see the smoke was still quite thick : (

re

Check it out.. They are installing mister systems on some of the popular routes for Sonkran.

hes right : )

dave2

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post-42592-0-36932200-1365066740_thumb.j

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^ Nice!

I'm back in Chiang Mai and it seems we're not quite out of the mire yet. So put on new filters and also donated some to my son's kindergarten.

I'm expecting it to end this weekend. Last night's winds seemed cause some improvement, even though no rain.

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Last nights winds were strange in their strength. Came in to the university campus with leaves and debris all over the streets and yards.

An odd thing though. When I opened the door this morning, there were a large number of dead bees (looked like honey bees) on the patio directly in front of the door. Never seen that before. Did they die from smoke inhalation or just blown to death? biggrin.png

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mTm8gmm.jpg

Taken just now: one of these aircon filters (3M Filtrete) is new, the other is six days old.

Aircon location:

Ground floor of San Sai residence inside a high-walled project, 2km away from any main road.

Great photo!
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/world/asia/air-pollution-linked-to-1-2-million-deaths-in-china.html

I wouldn't take the pollution problem lightly......it's too bad we don't get an email every day that says "OK, you were outside for 4 hours, no face mask, took in x much of whatever pollutants, and will die 11 months earlier. thanks for playing and tune in tomorrow"

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mTm8gmm.jpg

Taken just now: one of these aircon filters (3M Filtrete) is new, the other is six days old.

Aircon location:

Ground floor of San Sai residence inside a high-walled project, 2km away from any main road.

That is a scary picture, imagine that crap in your lungs

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XKSoO3R.jpg

48-hour update: 2-day old filters in aircon with brand-new filter for reference.

Aircon runs 24/7 for the purpose of filtering air. Anyone looking at these pics would rightly think that we live next to a major road - this house is one of only two situated in a cul-de-sac, surrounded by lakes and trees with zero through traffic.

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I think these micro filters are great.

But, I also think what we are seeing in these pics is the increased filtering ability of the smaller pores.

Meaning I do not think it is all necessarily to be attributed to the smog.

I think we also see the dust that is normally in any home adding to the look of the filter.

again due to the smaller micro pores.

Simple test to see if this is true is to install some during non-burning season.

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Normally there is hardly any dust in this house, e.g., no dust-generating curtains or furniture inside, and the garden outside has no bare earth.

Before I begun to use the 3M Filtretes a week and a half ago, I found the original plastic aircon filters clogged with this same fine black dust. I previously cleaned the a/c filters back in November and they only had a fine dust covering then.

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I have played around with the filtrete in other seasons. It stays a lot cleaner in other times of the year.

If I had to ballpark it it takes a month or two to get as dirty as week during the dangerous levels. Not scientific but my seat of the pants estimate.

Has anyone noticed the Yupparaj sensor is running 20 to 30% higher PM readings than City Hall site?

They demolished the buildings around the Yupparaj site so I think it shows how sensitive the sensors are to their immediate surroundings.

This is why I think some strategic watering could or would significantly affect a sensors readings and why the readings on or near a major road or intersection would be vastly more disturbing picture.

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It seems the differences during the day are more pronounced right now.. It's been like this for the past couple days, the following are hourly levels for today:

post-64232-0-32339700-1365329046_thumb.p

Although also without the numbers it's clear (heh) to see that mid morning sucks, and then a remarkable clearing up in the afternoon, to much better levels.

I actually plan any outside activities for the afternoon now for that reason.

Edited by WinnieTheKhwai
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This what I saw this morning at a wat in Ban Nam Phrae, Hang Dong. I think they are having a party.

The locals are crazy.

We drove from BKK back to Chiang Mai today, the smog starts about 50km north of Bangkok. Not kidding! All along the road, fires everywhere, and really bad air, much worse than here in Chiang Mai this evening actually.

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This what I saw this morning at a wat in Ban Nam Phrae, Hang Dong. I think they are having a party.

The locals are crazy.

We drove from BKK back to Chiang Mai today, the smog starts about 50km north of Bangkok. Not kidding! All along the road, fires everywhere, and really bad air, much worse than here in Chiang Mai this evening actually.

Hopefully, this will all be over soon. So I'd just like to take this opportunity to congratulate the authorities on getting on top of the smog problem this year. Totally excelled themselves, & I hope they get a few medals to pin on their chests to reflect the appreciation of the folk living in northern Thailand. Job well done. cheesy.gifbah.gifsick.gifw00t.gifsad.pngblink.pngthumbsup.gifwai2.gifwhistling.gifclap2.gifbiggrin.pngsmile.pnglaugh.pngcrazy.gifbeatdeadhorse.gif

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It seems the differences during the day are more pronounced right now.. It's been like this for the past couple days, the following are hourly levels for today:

Although also without the numbers it's clear (heh) to see that mid morning sucks, and then a remarkable clearing up in the afternoon, to much better levels.

I actually plan any outside activities for the afternoon now for that reason.

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Winnie the Khwai,

It is interesting to think about those numbers:

1. they could be inaccurate

2. to see if there is, indeed, a timeline-trend, would require some statistical analysis over time, although, if we had a week of those kind of numbers per hour, that's certainly a valuable heuristic for deciding when to go out.

3. what factors could be the source of an early am surge ? could it be a shift in the direction of prevailing night-time winds that brings into our area pollution from elsewhere, or the effect of atmospheric cooling, coupled with the "bowl" geography of our Ping River etched valley, that somehow brings down to ground-level particulate matter suspended in warmer air that has risen in the day ... or ... well, i am certainly no meteorologist !

Perhaps some of our more weather/atmosphere knowledgeable members here can comment: that would be appreciated.

thanks, ~o:37;

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It seems the differences during the day are more pronounced right now.. It's been like this for the past couple days, the following are hourly levels for today:

attachicon.gifCapture.PNG

Although also without the numbers it's clear (heh) to see that mid morning sucks, and then a remarkable clearing up in the afternoon, to much better levels.

I actually plan any outside activities for the afternoon now for that reason.

Those numbers seem consistent with people sleeping, waking up and starting fires and then going to work do they not.

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We flew back to Chiang Mai last night after our smoke escape only to come back too early. As soon as we exited the plane in Chiang Mai we could could smell smoke. Instant stink! Visibility in Mae Taeng was as bad this morning as it has been all this season, but the morning winds cleared it out fairly quickly.

Down in Ao Nong we ran into some tourists from Spain that had been trekking near Pai. They cut their trip short up in the mountains as they said the smoke and burning was quite bad. Looking at the data over that past few years, it looks pretty tough to predict when the smokey season will start and end. We are already planning on not being here next year whenever the smoke starts up. Right now we are just hoping it ends soon so we can go back to enjoying Chiang Mai.

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