Pollution, Bangkok

Avoid Bangkok until the authorities sort out the air quality controls for the city. I'm currently holed up in the Baiyoke Sky Hotel on the 43 rd floor looking out at the city, I can see a THICK bank of pollution hanging over the city. I have been physically sick for three days due to the pollution here. If you have any breathing issues like asthma etc DO NOT come to Bangkok as you will get sick. I wish I had read these reviews before I arrived, I will certainly never come back to this dirty unhygienic city. It's disgusting.

From the moment that you step out of the Suvarnabhumi Airport to returning to the airport to head home, you will be breathing in UNCLEAN air especially if you are walking on any street in Bangkok.

The streets are dirty, the noise is high, the smell is so awful and the air is dirty. Men even urinate on some corners of the roads. YOu may see some of them do this. You might stay indoors with air conditioning to avoid the air pollution however you can't stay there forever. You will need to go out and it is when you do , that is when you will inhale this smelly and dirty air.

My suggestion is to choose another place to holiday. Dont bother visiting Bangkok because it is polluted in every way possible!!!

The one major thing that bothered me about Bangkok was the air pollution. Its hot, humid and dirty. I felt quite overwhelmed by it and like I needed to open a window... except of course opening a window would not alleviate the problem. All I can say is make good use of the air conditioning and take some decent facial wipes with you.

Like everyone else says, be careful about the air pollution. In most city areas, and not just in Thailand. Seriously consider getting one of those neoprene active carbon pollution masks. I'm living in Taiwan now, and most of the foreigners wear ones from G-Flow Mask. I don't think you can buy them in Thailand, but they ship all over and cheaply. There website is:

www.gflowmask.com

I think that Respro is another option.

Safe travels

There must be no controls on veichle emissions here as all seem to spew out black soot. This lingers between the skyscrapers in narrow streets.

With cars nose to tail all day and night, there is no relief.

Don't forget to close your hotel room window before going out.

I found Bangkok to be very difficult for me to breath in . It is very polluted because of the millions of cars & buses. It is also humid, which will add to the difficulty in breathing. Make sure you bring your inhaler or pick one up at a pharmacy there.

With seemingly no air quality control, you'd have to shower twice a day to keep grime free. The worst was the soot that would lodge itself in your nostrils, making you wonder far less about the people you'd seen earlier on arrival, braving the streets in surgical masks for protection.

My second visit to Bangkok was in the cooler winter months and it seemed far less polluted though not sure if this was due to the weather or improved conditions.

Coming out of the airport in Bangkok, I was immediately overwhelmed by the air pollution. I actually choked for a minute or so. You could barely see for a 1000 meters in any direction. This is by far the worst air pollution I have ever experienced. If you have asthma, or any respiratory problems, be sure to bring your inhaler or any medication you need. And wear a mask, it's not cool looking but it'll keep some of the particulates out of your lungs.

Bangkok is notorious for horrible pollution. It is so bad that many people die each year due to it. It is common to see traffic police wearing masks to try and limit the amount of pollution going into their lungs. Many people would say there is not much you can do about it, but you can try and help the situation by trying to cut down in using pollutants. It's a huge and growing problem in Bangkok.

The air pollution in Bangkok is no joke. You may not notice it visually close-up but if you look at tall buildings in the distance you can only see a vague outline and no detail because of the smog.

Of course, you have to breathe this foul air too and depending on your degree of sensitivity - asthma problesm etc - it could be an issue for you.

It is very common to see local people who are outside all the time, such as traffic cops, wearing surgical masks to filter out some of the pollutants. I have also seen a few tourists wearing these. I would consider it if I was there for more than 4 or 5 days.