The government of Thailand has decided to tackle pollution in the capital, Bangkok and the Royal Thai Navy has recently installed 13 PM2.5 filtration machines around the capital Bangkok to bring the level of fine dust in the air down to a suitable level.

There is a deadly danger with PM2.5, airborne particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which can cause health risks, especially for young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic lung disease. Thailand’s safety level for PM2.5 is 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3).

The Thai military said the machines, built in its Naval Dockyard Department, are based on the prototype developed by the Rajaprajanugro Foundation. They have been placed in 13 areas of the city that have reported high levels of air pollution in recent days.

There is an urgent need for action as Bangkok lives under clouds of pollution and each machine can filter five cubic meters of air per second, the Navy said. Laboratory results show that each machine can lower the PM2.5 level in a 144-cubic-meter area to less than 50 μg/m3 in 30 minutes.

The machines can also filter out most germs, bacteria and viruses, including the COVID-19 virus, as well as aromatic hydrocarbons in the surrounding areas in 30 minutes, the Navy said.

On Feb. 4, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported that the PM2.5 level over the past 24 hours ranged from 28 to 58 μg/m3 and that the overall air quality was “good.”

Eastern Bangkok, i.e., Nong Chok, Lat Krabang, and Bueng Kum districts, reported the highest PM2.5 levels – from 49 to 58 μg/m3.