Cancer-causing smog shrouded central Thailand as farmers continued clearing their fields with fire.

Footage shows the thick haze hanging over roads and homes as levels of toxic PM 2.5 - which causes several deadly illnesses - spiked in Ang Thong province on February 1.

Experts warned the air pollution, which reached more than 60 microgrammes per cubic metre, was 'unhealthy for sensitive groups'. The safe level set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is five microgrammes per cubic metre.

The local government urged residents at risk, including children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with respiratory and heart diseases, to refrain from going outdoors.

They were also advised to seek medical attention if they felt unwell. Authorities reminded locals to cease agricultural burning to curb the seasonal smog.

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particled are recorded every year in Thailand between December and April.

Despite paying lip service for several years, politicians have failed to stop individuals from burning their land due to it being cheaper and easier than modern farming methods.

In March 2023, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand reported that around 1.3 million people in the country had been unwell due to the rising levels of air pollution. Officials said 200,000 residents were hospitalised in a single week.

They warned hospitals in December 2023 to prepare for an influx of patients.

It came as researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, also discovered that long-term exposure to particulate matter PM.25 air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

In December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai, Thailand, died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM 2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

The New York State Department of Health say PM 2.5 increases the risk of heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight.

While medics from South Korea published research in the National Institute of Health in the United States that said the pollutant increases the risk of stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and other illnesses such as immune deficiency and even obesity.