Air pollution on the up?

Nihility · Post by **Nihility** » Thu, 04 Sep 2014 5:59 pm

Although nothing like what was experienced in Singapore last year and in comparison to what China has to experience daily, I noticed that pollution levels were noticeably higher the last few days and today the pm2.5 level seems to be creeping towards 100.

Looking at the sky from my balcony during sunset shows a considerable haze on the horizon. Hope it blows away

Nihility · Post by **Nihility** » Mon, 15 Sep 2014 7:30 am

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sin ... 62116.html

The air is noticeably 'smelly' this morning with a pungent wood burning smell.

zzm9980 · Post by **zzm9980** » Mon, 15 Sep 2014 8:40 am

IME a 100-150 in Singapore is much harder to deal with than a 300+ in China. In Singapore it's often due to Indonesian brush fires. You smell it and can taste it. In China you don't notice it really, even if you're getting cancer.

rajagainstthemachine · Post by **rajagainstthemachine** » Mon, 15 Sep 2014 8:45 am

I have a dry and irritated nose since the last week and each morning when I wake up I feel like a smoker and I haven't smoked in almost 1.5 years

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Mon, 15 Sep 2014 9:35 am

Where did the 'all-in-one' screen-shot in the OP come from? Assuming the source is proven reliable it looks like a handy resource.

... There seems to be a little haze this morning, but IMO it's nothing compared to some of the highs we've seen recently.

Nihility · Post by **Nihility** » Mon, 15 Sep 2014 9:59 am

JR8 wrote:Where did the 'all-in-one' screen-shot in the OP come from? Assuming the source is proven reliable it looks like a handy resource.

http://aqicn.org/

You can also get an app for your phone - https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... Asia&hl=en

Comes in handy.

Nihility · Post by **Nihility** » Mon, 15 Sep 2014 10:08 am

zzm9980 wrote:IME a 100-150 in Singapore is much harder to deal with than a 300+ in China. In Singapore it's often due to Indonesian brush fires. You smell it and can taste it. In China you don't notice it really, even if you're getting cancer.

It depends where you are in China and what direction the winds are blowing. Localised burning during the crop harvesting periods in the internal regions of the country, will bring the same pungent pollution to many cities that I can now smell today in Singapore.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Mon, 15 Sep 2014 10:58 am

The smog level has materially worsened since I last posted...!

My benchmarks are what tall buildings in which districts I can see from my office. Right now visibility (for me) is about 3 miles, and falling.

Nihility · Post by **Nihility** » Thu, 18 Sep 2014 3:42 pm

Meh, another shitty day.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 18 Sep 2014 5:54 pm

It is Red/151/Unhealthy in my district

p.s. plus a 'Woo-hoo' bird has taken up residence in a next-door tree. Not my day!

ecureilx · Post by **ecureilx** » Thu, 18 Sep 2014 7:24 pm

err.. before the lesser informed decide Singapore's pollution has gone up (as I saw one guy compare Singapore with Shanghai and insisted that all the smoke here is local made, a-la China .. ) ..

the "annual Indonesian invasion via Haze has returned" may be an apt title

Steve1960 · Post by **Steve1960** » Fri, 19 Sep 2014 7:29 am

With the wife going 8 months pregnant I have said it's best she stay in the apartment mostly now and limit time outside to short walks only.

Let's hope we do not get a repeat of last year!

Nihility · Post by **Nihility** » Fri, 19 Sep 2014 8:05 am

Steve1960 wrote:With the wife going 8 months pregnant I have said it's best she stay in the apartment mostly now and limit time outside to short walks only.

Let's hope we do not get a repeat of last year!

Wise move.

The PM2.5 which is currently static at 144, represents the finer particles that latch onto the lungs. 144 is 8 times above the recommended level set by the WHO.

movingtospore · Post by **movingtospore** » Fri, 19 Sep 2014 8:48 pm

Nihility wrote:
JR8 wrote:Where did the 'all-in-one' screen-shot in the OP come from? Assuming the source is proven reliable it looks like a handy resource.
http://aqicn.org/

You can also get an app for your phone - https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... Asia&hl=en

Comes in handy.

That is from the NGO that publishes air quality indices across the region. They use the data that Singapore provides but a more modern approach to the level of harm/hazard etc. Hence the NEA PSI will give one number and say the air is moderate and a-ok while the AQI will show a stronger level of "harm".

I still don't understand why Singapore doesn't get with the program on this. The numbers they track seem accurate enough but their index is out of whack. Bad advertising perhaps.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 19 Sep 2014 9:05 pm

movingtospore wrote: I still don't understand why Singapore doesn't get with the program on this. The numbers they track seem accurate enough but their index is out of whack. Bad advertising perhaps.

Schools are meant to shut, food-courts/hawker centres must all close if the temperature exceeds 35c (IIRC), of course the temperature has NEVER officially exceeded 34.99c

Ho hum.

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Air pollution on the up?

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