Skeptics are now questioning why the air quality index readings provided by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Pollution Control Department, and other platforms don’t match. Officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have confirmed the meters used by them are accurate, and up to global standards.
The acting director of the BMA’s Environment Department, Wirat Manassanitwong disclosed that City Hall and the Pollution Control Department (PCD) are using the same model of devices to measure air quality in the capital.
Both agencies are currently using the beta ray attenuation method to measure air quality. The BMA’s acting environment division chief said City Hall is using imported U.S. devices that have been certified for compliance with global standards.
He said the values provided by the BMA differ from those provided by the PCD, as the BMA values are calculated with a 24-hour average, to measure health effects, while the PCD values reflect real-time information of airborne particulate matter at a given time.
The BMA and the PCD have already reached an agreement on a mutual method to calculate and report the values.
Mr Wirat added that the general public can now easily own devices that can measure air quality. However these consumer devices can only make basic measurements, and their accuracy may be impacted by factors such as humidity and location. He urged the public to continue to refer to official data from the BMA or the PCD.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration currently operates 70 air quality measurement stations, located in the capital’s 50 districts, and another 20 in public parks, plus five mobile measuring stations. (NNT)
