Climate Change, Air Pollution, and Human Health in Bangkok

Abstract

Background: While a number of studies have published the health effects of climate change and air pollution, little has been studied in Thailand on the health effects following interactions between air pollution and climate change. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the interplays between climate change and air pollution and how these in turn impact on human health among residents of Bangkok, Thailand. Methods: We conducted a descriptive study based on existing data on air pollution from Thailand’s Pollution Control Department, data on number of vehicles from the Transport Statistics Subdivision under Thailand’s Department of Land Transport, data on rainfall and temperature from the Thai Meteorological Department, data on health outcomes from Thailand Ministry of Public Health, and demographic data from the Department of Provincial Administration. Results: As of 2016, the Pollution Control Department of Thailand had a total of 17 air pollution monitoring stations around Bangkok, including 6 roadside and 11 general area stations. While there has been a downward trend in PM10 concentrations from 1992 to 2015, PM2.5 concentrations have not only been above-recommended standards but also going up. The number of registered vehicles in Bangkok peaked at more than one million in 2013, but since then a declining trend has been observed. In Bangkok, temperatures peaked around April, while rainfall peaked during the month of September. Overall, both annual minimum and maximum temperatures have been going up since 1951. The average amount of rainfall received monthly had two peaks, first in May and later in September. From 1951 to 2015, the mean annual rainfall in Thailand went below 1400 mm only in 1977, 1979, and 1992. Mortality rates due to diseases of the circulatory and respiratory system have also been going up since 2010, with mortality rates per 100,000 population higher among males than females. While the number of outpatients due to diseases of the circulatory system continues to increase, outpatients due to respiratory diseases peaked around 2010, and since then a downward trend has been observed. Conclusion: Results suggest possible correlations between air pollution-climate change interactions and mortality due to diseases of the respiratory and circulatory systems.