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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok

Chiang Mai to hand out face masks as dust from fires hits hazardous levels

Air pollution in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last month.
Air pollution in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last month. PM2.5 levels in the city reached 117µg/m³, more than 23 times WHO annual air quality guidelines. Photograph: Pongmanat Tasiri/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock

The Chiang Mai authorities in northern Thailand will hand out face masks to the public as the province struggles with dangerously high levels of air pollution caused by persistent forest fires.

The fires are an annual problem between the months of December and April, when farmers set light to their fields to clear the land ready for the next crop cycle.

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