Health & medical care
Living through Chiang Mai's smoky season: PM2.5
Reading air-quality information and reviewing outdoor plans, indoor conditions and masks.
Start with these three things
- Air4Thai provides AQI and PM2.5 information based on Thailand Pollution Control Department monitoring stations.
- Older people, young children and people with existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions need to take particular care according to air quality and their health.
Planning tips (not official rules)
- Check the location and measurement time before going out, and review your outdoor plans.
Steps
"Tip" marks a planning suggestion, not an official rule.
- Tip In Air4Thai, select a monitoring station near your home or destination.
- Tip Check the station name, measurement date and time, whether the value is PM2.5 or AQI, and the action guidance displayed.
- When concentrations are high, consider ways to reduce exposure, such as limiting prolonged strenuous outdoor exercise and outings.
- Tip Review whether outdoor errands are necessary and when to do them, and prepare indoor alternatives.
- Tip If you have an existing condition, ask your usual doctor whom to contact and when to seek care if your health changes.
What to prepare
Planning tips (not official rules)
- Save the official page you use and help family members view the same monitoring station.
- Check your mask's standard, fit and wearing instructions.
- If you have an air purifier, check the manual, filter type and replacement instructions.
Where to ask
Thailand Pollution Control Department's Air4Thai / your medical provider for health concerns
Air4Thai provides AQI and PM2.5 readings from monitoring stations. Use the Pollution Control Department introduction below to find the service.
Reception hours for routine health consultations are not yet confirmed. Check consultation and appointment arrangements with your medical provider.
Things to watch for
"Tip" marks a planning suggestion, not an official rule.
- Tip Use a display showing the publisher, place and time rather than a social-media image cropped to show only a colour or number.
- A mask's fit matters as well as its filtration performance. Air-purifier effectiveness also varies by product and filter.
Check what today's value means
PCD's 2026 explanation says Air4Thai provides hourly measurements, historical information and forecasts. These are different types of information, so check which one you are viewing.
Planning tips (not official rules)
This article is not a live measurements display. Reopen the current official information, and avoid treating an inactive station or an old image as today's conditions.
Adjusting indoor conditions and outings
Japan's Ministry of the Environment explains in its Q&A that, during high concentrations, limiting window opening and ventilation to what is necessary can reduce outdoor air entering the home.
Planning tips (not official rules)
Consider a room where you can remain comfortable while managing ventilation and temperature, and follow your purifier's instructions. For necessary outings, consider combining errands and reducing outdoor walking and waiting time.
Do not decide by season alone
The Japanese consulate's 2019 notice also asks readers to check the latest Thai government information. Do not apply the pollution conditions of that time or another country's numerical thresholds directly to Chiang Mai today.
Planning tips (not official rules)
Do not assume the smoky period starts and ends on fixed dates every year. Adjust plans to the day's information. If relatives find the information difficult to read, consider a brief message with the measurement time and a discussion of what to do.
Ask your usual doctor about actions appropriate to your health and any existing conditions.
Sources & dates checked
- OfficialEnvironment and Pollution Control Office 14, PCD Air4Thai แอปเดียว รู้ทุกเรื่องคุณภาพอากาศ
- OfficialConsulate-General of Japan in Chiang Mai 大気汚染にご注意ください
- OfficialMinistry of the Environment of Japan 微小粒子状物質（PM2.5）に関するよくある質問（Q&A）