As the Lunar New Year approaches, ethnic Chinese in Thailand are learning to curtail the tradition of burning paper and incense sticks to prevent hazardous emissions as PM2.5 pollution endangers the country.
Like past years, the veil of PM2.5 dust started shrouding Bangkok and other cities in December as authorities sprayed water to clean streets and suggested citizens make lifestyle changes to reduce air pollution. But this is more like alleviating symptoms than solving the root cause.
According to the World Health Organization, each year around 7 million people die from the impact of air pollution, which is the world’s largest environmental health risk. One in eight global deaths is a result of air pollution, with 2.6 million deaths related to outdoor air pollution in Southeast Asia.
New data shows a strong link…
