The purpose of this study was to assess household solid waste management in areas governed by local administrative organizations (LAOs). The obtained results would be used to assess the amount of air pollution emitted from household solid waste open burning. A survey was employed, through the use of questionnaires, to collect data from a random sample of 4300 households residing in areas governed by 96 LAOs. According to the results, it was evident that a total of 26.17 Mt of solid waste were generated per year, of which 6.39 Mt/year was not collected by the LAOs and was eliminated by households. Moreover, the percentage of waste burned on or outside the households’ property was 53.7%, or an equivalent of 3.43 Mt/year of solid waste burned in open areas. In addition, it was found that 0.66 Mt/year of solid waste collected by the LAOs was burned in open areas and was not eliminated properly. Hence, the total amount of solid waste from these two sources was 4.09 Mt/year, which resulted in the emissions of carbon dioxide equivalent, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, and particulate matter of 1247.3 kt/year, 103.0 kt/year, 1.2 kt/year, 7.4 kt/year, and 19.6 kt/year, respectively.

Bangkok Metropolitan Region - Thailand (BMR), one of the major metropolitan areas in the world, is a bustling upper-middle class megacity composed of Bangkok city proper and five surrounding provinces. With an actual population of approximately 15 million, it is the central hub for commerce and tourism in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region. In the past decades, Bangkok has experienced extraordinary economic development and urban expansion, all the while displaying notable concern regarding the ambient air pollution and its adverse effects on human health. In this study, 16-years of air quality monitoring data were collected from 25 stations in BMR, which are operated by the Thailand’s Pollution Control Department. Data for O₃, PM₁₀, NOx, CO and SO^₂ were analyzed temporally with a particular focus on long-term, seasonal and diurnal variations. The data were also analyzed spatially to identify the hotspots and flow of air pollution in the region. These investigations were performed to assess the evolution of air quality in BMR over the past 16 years and identify areas of potential concern. Analysis of the data indicated that PM₁₀, NOx , CO and SO₂ were in a moderate decline over the 16 years, while O₃ concentration has risen steadily throughout this time period. The results and findings of these investigations are discussed with a perspective to provide policy recommendations for air quality improvements in BMR.

Air pollution remains a significant environmental challenge, impacting ecosystems, reducing visibility, and posing substantial health risks. Ratchaburi, a province in Thailand, has been experiencing severe air pollution, particularly with elevated PM_2.5 concentrations. This study assessed the health benefits of reducing ambient PM_2.5 exposure by analyzing air quality data from 2015 to 2019. The assessment quantifies the additional health benefits from rolling back monitored PM_2.5 levels to meet the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards, compared to previous thresholds. Mortality impacts were monetized using the value of statistical life, expressed in 2011 USD and adjusted to purchasing power parity. The findings indicate that strengthening the 24 h PM_2.5 standard prevented an additional 35 cardiovascular deaths (95% CI: 2–63 deaths) and 29 respiratory deaths (95% CI: 11–42 deaths), translating into $17 million (95% CI: $1–$31 million) and $13 million (95% CI: $5–$20 million) in economic benefits, respectively. Further tightening the annual PM_2.5 standard from 25 µg/m³ to 15 µg/m³ resulted in even greater improvements, preventing an additional 169 cardiovascular deaths (95% CI: 11–319 deaths) and 134 respiratory deaths (95% CI: 48–216 deaths), with associated economic benefits of $81 million (95% CI: $5–$23 million) and $68 million (95% CI: $23–$104, million), respectively. Overall, prioritizing annual reductions in PM_2.5 yields greater long-term benefits than daily improvements, reinforcing the need for sustained policy interventions. Addressing these challenges requires effective air quality management strategies and public health measures to protect vulnerable populations in Ratchaburi from the adverse effects of air pollution exposure.

Exposure to ambient PM_2.5 is a well-established environmental risk factor associated with adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes. Ratchaburi, Thailand, has experienced increasing concerns regarding ambient PM_2.5 pollution. This study investigated the associations between ambient PM_2.5 exposure and respiratory and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in Ratchaburi from 2015 to 2019 using a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM). The exposure–lag–response relationships were assessed on the current day of exposure and up to seven days following exposure. For all ages and all genders, a 10 µg/m³ increase in PM_2.5 was associated with a 5.42% (95% CI 1.85–9.12%) increase in respiratory mortality at lag0, and a 2.69% (95% CI 1.45–3.95%) increase in respiratory morbidity at lag0-6. Cardiovascular mortality increased by 3.55% (95% CI 0.23–6.99%) at lag0-5 and cardiovascular morbidity by 1.85% (95% CI − 0.24–3.98%) at lag0-6. The observed associations varied across age and gender categories. Elderly individuals generally showed higher risks for respiratory mortality, while adults showed higher risks for respiratory morbidity and cardiovascular mortality. Females generally showed higher associations for respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity, whereas males showed higher associations for cardiovascular mortality. Overall, the findings provide local epidemiological evidence regarding short-term PM_2.5 exposure and associated respiratory and cardiovascular health burdens in Ratchaburi, Thailand. The observed exposure–lag–response relationships support future public health planning and air quality management strategies related to PM_2.5 exposure in areas experiencing elevated PM_2.5 concentrations.

Air pollution is a serious issue that affects many parts of the world, Southeast Asia in particular. Nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and other emissions have negative impacts on human health as well as overall environmental quality. The major sources in Thailand are open burning and fossil fuel combustion, i.e. in vehicles, energy use in industries and power generation. Given increasing actual and projected GDP growth, subsequent increases in energy consumption are inevitable. The power generation system must grow and expand as well to meet changes in demand from industrial, commercial, and residential customers. The Ministry of Energy of Thailand has published the Power Development Plan 2015 (PDP 2015) to outline policies and goals of the growing power generation and transmission systems throughout the nation. Notably, the plan involves increasing the use of coal-fired generation. Using both the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies Model (GAINS) and the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx), we have compared two different emissions scenarios: one with standard emission control technology, and another with maximum feasible emission controls. The effectiveness of emission control technology varied by region and pollutant. The greatest increase in air quality was located around the Rayong province in central Thailand. For PM₁₀ in the northern Thailand, however, emission control technologies did little to improve the air quality because the main source of pollutant, biomass burning, was left unabaited. This forecast of air quality can show possible impacts from future emissions in Thailand and regions that may benefit from added emission control technology in the future.