Health4Us
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Weather changes
Global warming affects Thailand by raising average temperatures and modifying precipitation pattern, which result in an increase of natural disasters such as heat waves, droughts and floods. These catastrophes shake the Thai economy (agriculture, tourism, trade, industry) and have also direct and indirect impact on health during and after the disaster.
For instance, Thailand is especially subject to floods, which threat the population with food and water-born diseases such as salmonellosis that spread rapidly due to poor hygiene and lack of clean water and acceptable sanitation. In addition, floods may favor the proliferation of insects carrying diseases such as mosquitoes, which increases epidemic risk of vector-born diseases such as dengue fever and malaria. Furthermore, Heat waves represent also a threat for babies, seniors and those suffering from respiration and cardiovascular diseases. Besides, natural disasters provoke psychological stress that can lead to social and health problem.
Consequences of weather changes may lead to increase patients in need of health care treatments. This may ultimately cause a problem since due to limited infrastructures and health care human resources.
Source: Reuters
Thai floods spread disease
Urban air pollution
Bangkok is severely subject to air pollution. This contributes to weather change and has also a direct impact on people health.
“When we breathe in dirty air, we bring air pollutants deep into our lungs, so it’s no surprise that air pollution causes serious damage to the respiratory tract. Air pollution exposure can trigger new cases of asthma, exacerbate (worsen) a previously-existing respiratory illness, and provoke development or progression of chronic illnesses including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and emphysema. Air pollutants also negatively and significantly harm lung development, creating an additional risk factor for developing lung diseases later in life.”
Source: Physicians for Social Responsibility - PSR report, Coal’s Assault on Human Health
High temperatures in Thailand can enhance dramatically the reaction rate of air pollutants that are already highly detrimental. The polluted gases irritate respiration systems and optical tissues. In the long run, it causes chronic symptoms on respiration system and allergies.
As a result, we believe that air pollution, which is especially problematic in urban area, can increase the problem of access to healthcare since it is a factor increasing health complication while their is not enough resources to provide sufficient medical care to the population.
The main sources of air pollution:
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Traffic emissions from vehicles: new technologies provide engines that cause significantly fewer emissions than in the past. However, the number of vehicles keeps increasing in the Thai megalopolis.
Number of registered vehicles in Bangkok
Source: The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning
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Industrial emission from factories and power plants: The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration combined with the four bangkok outbound provinces (Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom, and Samut Prakan), holds about 20% of the national population and over half of the country's factories.
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Garbage burning: According to the video bellow, garbage burning is responsible to 5% of human CO2 production. It also releases other contaminated toxic, such as sulfur dioxide, which endangers more toxic than coal.
Click on the link bellow to read the excerpt about garbage burning emissions nearby Bangkok.
Toxic smoke from massive garbage fire fouling skies over eastern Bangkok
Finally, it is interesting to see the evolution of Carbon Dioxide emissions over last decades in Thailand. It has been multiplies by 6.5 between 1980 and 2011. Thai carbon dioxide emissions contributed to global weather change, but are also generally accompanied by other pollutants emissions that can direct treat to human health. This is the case for vehicles, industrial and garbage burning emissions. It would be interesting to find the data in relation to the relationship between Carbon Dioxide emissions and air pollution causing human diseases.
Source: The World bank