After spending a week in Laos and being able to observe the quality of the streets, I realized that the country is extremely less developed than I imagined. The roads were rarely paved and consisted mostly of rocks, sand, and dirt which made it extremely difficult for people to drive on. Furthermore, sand would often be blown in to the air which would make it impossible for walking pedestrians to breathe and see clearly. Although this is also an issue in the more rural parts of Thailand, the country has smooth and very good quality roads compared to Laos.
I was curious to see whether all the dust and air pollution had any health effects, specifically respiratory illnesses, on Lao People. Jaime Lopez examined the association between environmental inhaled exposures and lung function among males living in rural Laos. Through surveys and physical exams results showed that in a sample of 92 individuals, more than 80 percent were often exposed to cooking fires, animal handling, dust, and dirt. Besides tobacco use, reports showed that household, occupational, and community level exposures were prominent in rural areas in the country. Household pollution such as indoor cooking and trash fires, outdoor pollution including vehicle emissions and industrial pollutants, occupational dust and dirt, and livestock handling may all contribute to respiratory problems like chronic cough and shortness of breath. Approximately 57.6 percent of the subjects had impaired lung function, and numbers seemed to increase with age.
Since 2,009, the German International Cooperation (GIZ) has started three programs to help assist cities and national governments in the ASEAN region to improve air quality. The organization has helped with organizational adjustments, local and regional training, and public awareness about pollutants and their negative impacts. The Clean Air Plans were implemented to help with climate change mitigation, better health for local citizens, and improvement of quality of life. Activities will continue until the end of 2015, and some objectives include putting together a group of air quality management experts in the ASEAN region, and supporting the further development of other air pollution control programs.