Bangkok and 57 provinces face hazardous dust levels

On Monday morning, Bangkok and 57 other provinces experienced very high levels of PM2.5 dust in the air. This fine particulate matter is considered hazardous to health. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported that the levels were particularly high in the North, Northeast, Central Plain, and East regions of Thailand. The government has set a safe level for PM2.5 at 37.5 micrograms per cubic meter over a 24-hour period. However, many areas far exceeded this limit. Bueng Kan recorded the highest level at 146.2 micrograms per cubic meter. Other provinces with high levels included Nong Khai and Loei, among others. In total, 42 provinces showed dangerous PM2.5 levels ranging from 75.4 to 99.4 micrograms per cubic meter. Some provinces like Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai were also affected. Five provinces were classified as facing orange levels of air quality, which can start to affect health. These provinces had PM2.5 levels between 60.6 to 73.1 micrograms per cubic meter. Krabi had moderate air quality, while 13 southern provinces reported good air quality with levels between 15.4 to 23.9 micrograms per cubic meter.