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REPORT
TOPIC: PM2.5 Management In Greater Mekong Subregion
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Cause
3. Effect
4. Control
Introduction
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern for
people's health when levels in air are high. PM2.5 are tiny particles in
the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels
are elevated. Outdoor PM2.5 levels are most likely to be elevated on
days with little or no wind or air mixing.
The World Health Organization (WHO) alert the public by issuing a
PM2.5 Health Advisory when PM2.5 concentrations in outdoor air are
expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
What is Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5)?
The term fine particles, or particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), refers to tiny
particles or droplets in the air that are two- and one-half microns or less
in width. Like inches, meters and miles, a micron is a unit of
measurement for distance.
There are about 25,000 microns in an inch. The widths of the larger
particles in the PM2.5 size range would be about thirty times smaller
than that of a human hair. The smaller particles are so small that several
thousand of them could fit on the period at the end of this sentence.
What is the Difference Between PM10 and PM2.5?
PM10 and PM2.5 often derive from different emissions sources, and
also have different chemical compositions. Emissions from combustion
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of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or wood produce much of the PM2.5

pollution found in outdoor air, as well as a significant proportion of
PM10.
PM10 also includes dust from construction sites, landfills and
agriculture, wildfires and brush/waste burning, industrial sources, wind-
blown dust from open lands, pollen and fragments of bacteria.
PM may be either directly emitted from sources (primary particles) or
formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions of gases
(secondary particles) such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides
(NOX), and certain organic compounds.
These organic compounds can be emitted by both natural sources, such
as trees and vegetation, as well as from man-made (anthropogenic)
sources, such as industrial processes and motor vehicle exhaust. The
relative sizes of PM10 and PM2.5 particles are compared in the figure
below.

Why is Everyone Concerned about PM10 and PM2.5?

The concerned about air-borne particles because of their effects on the
health of Californians and the environment. Both PM2.5 and PM10 can
be inhaled, with some depositing throughout the airways, though the
locations of particle deposition in the lung depend on particle size.
PM2.5 is more likely to travel into and deposit on the surface of the
deeper parts of the lung, while PM10 is more likely to deposit on the
surfaces of the larger airways of the upper region of the lung. Particles
deposited on the lung surface can induce tissue damage, and lung
inflammation.

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1. Cause
There are outdoor and indoor sources of fine particles. Outside, fine
particles primarily come from car, truck, bus and off-road vehicle
(e.g., construction equipment, snowmobile, locomotive) exhausts,
other operations that involve the burning of fuels such as wood,
heating oil or coal and natural sources such as forest and grass fires.
Fine particles also form from the reaction of gases or droplets in the
atmosphere from sources such as power plants. These chemical
reactions can occur miles from the original source of the emissions.
In Central Mekong some of the fine particles measured in the air are
carried by wind from out-of-state sources. Because fine particles can
be carried long distances from their source, events such as wildfires

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or volcanic eruptions can raise fine particle concentrations hundreds

of miles from the event.
PM2.5 is also produced by common indoor activities. Some indoor
sources of fine particles are tobacco smoke, cooking (e.g., frying,
sautéing, and broiling), burning candles or oil lamps, and operating
fireplaces and fuel-burning space heaters (e.g., kerosene heaters).

Thailand’s national air quality standards are weak compared to the

World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations.
The annual standard for the most dangerous pollutants, PM2.5, is 25
micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3 ) - 2.5 times as high as the WHO
guideline. The daily standard of 50 μg/m3 , is twice as high as the
WHO. Similarly, for PM10, Thailand’s annual standard is 50 μg/m3
compared to the WHO guideline of 20 μg/m3 , and the daily standard
is 120 μg/m3 compared to the WHO’s 50 μg/m3 . Official WHO
measurements indicate that even the national standard is being
violated in a number of cities.

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Major Sources of PM2.5

Key Findings
● From January-July 2016 the 5 cities with the highest annual average
concentrations of
PM2.5 were Chiang Mai, Lampang (Mae Moh), Khon Kaen, Bangkok
and Ratchaburi.
Seven out of the eleven cities measured (63.6%) did not reach the
‘National Ambient Air
Quality Standard’ annual limit of 25 μg/m3
for PM2.5 and all 11 cities measured did not reach the World Health
Organization (WHO) guideline annual limit of 25 μg/m3.
● In 2015, the 5 cities with the highest annual average concentrations of
PM2.5 were:

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Saraburi, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Lampang and Khon Kaen. Nine out of
the twelve cities measured (75%) did not reach ‘the National Ambient
Air Quality Standard’ annual limit of 25 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and all 12
cities measured did not reach the WHO guideline annual limit of 25
μg/m3.
● In 2014, the 5 cities with the highest annual average concentrations of
PM2.5 were Saraburi, Chonburi, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Samut
Sakhon.
Seven out of the eleven cities measured (63.6%) failed to reach the
‘National Ambient Air Quality Standard’ annual limit of 25 micrograms
per cubic meter (μg/m3) for PM2.5 and all 11 cities measured did not
reach the WHO guideline annual limit of 25 μg/m.
The PM2.5 concentration in the kitchen and the bedroom are
summarized in

Indoor PM2.5 concentrations, in both the kitchen and the bedroom, were
not significantly different from the outdoor PM2.5 level during the non-
heating season (p>0.05). However, during the heating period, outdoor
PM2.5 was significantly higher than the kitchen and bedroom PM2.5
concentrations.

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