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Authorities in the Thai capital have ordered nearly 450 schools to close as pollution levels reach dangerously unhealthy levels.
Bangkok, the world’s most visited city, saw levels of PM 2.5 particles at 78.3pg/m3. A level above 35 is considered unhealthy, according to independent air quality monitor AirVisual.
PM 2.5 particles can include dust, soot and smoke and are so small they can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
“Students get affected a lot by air pollution because they are exposing to outdoor all the time even waiting for the bus or just walking,” Panpimon Jumsook, a teacher at one of the schools, said.
Like many growing Asian cities, Bangkok is plagued by vehicle fumes, dust from construction sites and emissions from industry but the burning of stubble and undergrowth in fields in surrounding rural areas is believed to contribute to much higher pollution levels in the dry, winter months.
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Created with Sketch.
1/20
The sunset is seen during a poor air quality day in Bangkok, Thailand, 29 January 2019.
JORGE SILVA/REUTERS
2/20
Smog lingers over the city as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
3/20
A student wears a mask as he waits to be picked up, as classes in over 400 Bangkok schools have been cancelled due to worsening air pollution, at a public school in Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS
4/20
Thai workers prepare agricultural drones during the operation in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog in Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
5/20
A Thai student (L) leaves school wearing a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
6/20
Thai students wear face masks as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
EPA
7/20
A volunteer for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) flies a drone fitted with a water tank during a demonstration to make artificial rain to tackle air pollution in Bangkok on January 31, 2019. - The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government and prompting rare scenes of residents donning masks on streets and on public transport.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
8/20
A Thai student wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
9/20
A volunteer for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) flies a drone fitted with a water tank during a demonstration to make artificial rain to tackle air pollution in Bangkok on January 31, 2019. - The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government and prompting rare scenes of residents donning masks on streets and on public transport.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
10/20
A tuk-tuk driver, wearing a face mask, sits in his vehicle during a traffic jam in Bangkok on January 30, 2019. - Toxic smog forced hundreds of Bangkok schools to close on January 30, as authorities struggle to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread health fears and taken on a political edge just weeks before elections.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
11/20
A Thai student wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019. Thailand, 30 January 2019. The Thai Education Ministry on 30 January 2019 ordered educational institutes in Bangkok city to close after air pollution worsened. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
EPA
12/20
A Thai school child wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019. Thailand, 30 January 2019. The Thai Education Ministry on 30 January 2019 ordered educational institutes in Bangkok city to close after air pollution worsened. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
13/20
An officer from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration uses agricultural drones to spray a water based solution in the air during the operation in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog in Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
14/20
An officer from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration uses agricultural drones to spray a water based solution in the air during the operation in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog in Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
15/20
People wear masks as they commute after work, as classes in over 400 Bangkok schools have been cancelled, due to the worsening air quality in Bangkok, Thailand, January 30, 2019.
ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS
16/20
Tourists walk on high ground while smog lingers over the city as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
17/20
A drone flies and sprays water during an operation to reduce air pollution at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in Bangkok, Thailand, January 31, 2019.
ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS
18/20
A man wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
19/20
Thai women wear face masks as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
20/20
A Thai woman wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
1/20
The sunset is seen during a poor air quality day in Bangkok, Thailand, 29 January 2019.
JORGE SILVA/REUTERS
2/20
Smog lingers over the city as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
3/20
A student wears a mask as he waits to be picked up, as classes in over 400 Bangkok schools have been cancelled due to worsening air pollution, at a public school in Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS
4/20
Thai workers prepare agricultural drones during the operation in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog in Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
5/20
A Thai student (L) leaves school wearing a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
6/20
Thai students wear face masks as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
EPA
7/20
A volunteer for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) flies a drone fitted with a water tank during a demonstration to make artificial rain to tackle air pollution in Bangkok on January 31, 2019. - The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government and prompting rare scenes of residents donning masks on streets and on public transport.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
8/20
A Thai student wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
9/20
A volunteer for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) flies a drone fitted with a water tank during a demonstration to make artificial rain to tackle air pollution in Bangkok on January 31, 2019. - The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government and prompting rare scenes of residents donning masks on streets and on public transport.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
10/20
A tuk-tuk driver, wearing a face mask, sits in his vehicle during a traffic jam in Bangkok on January 30, 2019. - Toxic smog forced hundreds of Bangkok schools to close on January 30, as authorities struggle to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread health fears and taken on a political edge just weeks before elections.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
11/20
A Thai student wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019. Thailand, 30 January 2019. The Thai Education Ministry on 30 January 2019 ordered educational institutes in Bangkok city to close after air pollution worsened. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
EPA
12/20
A Thai school child wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 30 January 2019. Thailand, 30 January 2019. The Thai Education Ministry on 30 January 2019 ordered educational institutes in Bangkok city to close after air pollution worsened. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
13/20
An officer from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration uses agricultural drones to spray a water based solution in the air during the operation in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog in Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
14/20
An officer from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration uses agricultural drones to spray a water based solution in the air during the operation in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog in Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
15/20
People wear masks as they commute after work, as classes in over 400 Bangkok schools have been cancelled, due to the worsening air quality in Bangkok, Thailand, January 30, 2019.
ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS
16/20
Tourists walk on high ground while smog lingers over the city as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
17/20
A drone flies and sprays water during an operation to reduce air pollution at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in Bangkok, Thailand, January 31, 2019.
ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/REUTERS
18/20
A man wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
19/20
Thai women wear face masks as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
20/20
A Thai woman wears a face mask as heavy air pollution continues to affect Bangkok, Thailand, 31 January 2019. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all 50 districts to be designated pollution-control areas and impose stricter legal measures in an attempt to ease the effects of heavy smog lingers in air pollution worsened in Bangkok city. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health issues, remains at unhealthy levels in Thailand's capital and and nearby, according to the Pollution Control Department.
NARONG SANGNAK/EPA
Bangkok’s air quality index on Wednesday was 163, according to data from AirVisual. Anything above 150 is considered unhealthy.
The schools will be closed for one day.
Last January, the city closed schools for a week because of pollution.
Reuters