Thailand has been ranked the world’s 23rd most polluted country and Bangkok ranks 24th in the list of cities with critical air quality globally, according to the 2018 World Air Quality Report. The report shows that PM2.5 dust particles for the whole year in Thailand averaged 26.4 microns.
In ASEAN, Thailand ranks the third most polluted country after Indonesia and Vietnam, which were placed 11th and 17th globally with average 42 and 32.6 microns of PM2.5 particulate respectively.
Bangladesh tops the world’s list as the most polluted country, but seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India, a country which ranks third most polluted globally. Gurugram, a city about 30 km southwest of India’s capital of New Delhi, had the worst pollution levels globally in 2018.
Conversely, Iceland is the cleanest country in the world with only 2.5 microns of PM2.5 dust particles.
“Air pollution steals our livelihoods and our futures,” said Yeb Sano, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia in a statement, adding “We want this report to make people think about the air we breathe, because when we understand the impacts of air quality on our lives, we will act to protect what’s most important.”
The World Health Organization estimates seven million people die every year due to air pollution, while non-fatal effects of over-exposure to PM2.5 particles include irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma and decreased lung function.
