Bangkok's Children at Risk of Long-Term Harm From Air Pollution

Children in Bangkok wear face masks in the classroom as the Thai capital struggles with some of the worst air pollution in the world.

Transcript

00:00 Children in Bangkok are keeping their masks on in class,

00:04 not because of COVID-19, but because of air pollution.

00:07 Children are more at risk of developing long-term breathing problems than adults,

00:12 and teachers at this public school say they're left with few options to keep kids safe.

00:18 We have to keep the windows open because the virus can get in through the windows.

00:24 It's a disease that affects everyone, and it's not easy to get rid of it.

00:32 Some of Bangkok's elite private schools have air purifiers to filter out this smog,

00:37 something many public schools can't afford,

00:40 leaving many children to rely only on masks.

00:44 The NGO Save the Children says kids in Bangkok breathed unhealthy air for 70% of 2023.

00:52 Authorities have been seeking to tackle air pollution for some time.

00:56 Speaking to Taiwan Plus in October last year,

00:59 Bangkok Governor Chatchat Setipan was hopeful new measures starting this year would bring about change.

01:06 The effect on Bangkok, the effect everywhere.

01:09 We will launch a campaign to improve our car engine to Euro 5,

01:14 the truck and diesel, and making the gasoline more efficient and cleaner.

01:23 So you see some improvement on that.

01:25 Setipan also pointed to agricultural burning as a major contributor to pollution.

01:31 Thailand's Prime Minister Sathatthavisin recently pledged to regulate the burning of stubble

01:41 while visiting a wildfire command centre in the country's north.

01:45 We are going to do whatever we can to make sure that the air condition is improved.

01:53 But as the government in Bangkok searches for the right policy,

01:57 the city's children can only hope for clearer days to come.

02:01 Scott Huang and Joyce Sun for Taiwan Plus.

02:04 (children laughing)