Bangkok’s non-smokers ‘smoke’ over 1,290 cigarettes a year due to PM2.5
Bangkok's PM2.5 pollution exposes non-smokers to the equivalent of 1,297 cigarettes a year, fuelling lung cancer risk, a doctor warns.
A doctor has raised concerns over the persistent air pollution in Bangkok caused by PM2.5 particles, warning that the situation is so severe it is equivalent to non-smokers in the capital effectively smoking more than 1,290 cigarettes a year.
Assoc Prof Dr Sira Laohathai, a microscopic thoracic surgeon at Vajira General Hospital, said the level of PM2.5 fine dust pollution in Bangkok remains dangerously high and is contributing to rising cases of lung cancer among residents.
According to Sira, it was found that in 2024, Bangkokians inhaled PM2.5 at levels equivalent to smoking 1,297 cigarettes per year.
The situation showed slight improvement compared to 2023, when the equivalent figure was 1,370 cigarettes per year, but it was worse than in 2022, which saw an equivalent of 1,227 cigarettes.
The equivalence was calculated by comparing the inhalation of 22 microgrammes of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air to smoking one cigarette, Sira explained.
He noted that prolonged exposure to high levels of PM2.5 has led to an increase in lung cancer cases, which has become one of the leading causes of death in Thailand.
Citing a recent study published in a medical journal, Sira pointed out that between 30–60% of lung cancer patients in Asia had never smoked.
He urged three at-risk groups to undergo low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans for early detection of lung cancer, which could enable timely treatment. The groups are:
- People aged 50 to 80
- Former smokers who had smoked for over 20 years
- Current or former smokers who had smoked for at least 15 years
