Debilitating air pollution soared to ten times the safe levels in Bangkok, Thailand, this morning.

Videos from the Huai Khwang area of the capital city show the toxic haze of PM 2.5 particles from agricultural burning surrounding buildings shortly before 8 am local time.

Swiss air quality monitor IQ Air, which collects data from 215 stations across the city, recorded levels of 59 microgrammes of PM 2.5 microns per cubic metre of air.

The safe level advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is five microgrammes.

Despite more than 10 million patients receiving treatment for pollution-related respiratory illnesses in 2023, the establishment has refused to declare the situation a 'disaster zone' as it would 'hurt tourism'.

Government leader Srettha Thavisin, who was not directly elected but backed by disgraced mogul Thaksin Shinawatra following a de facto election coup last year, dismissed calls for the region to be declared a disaster zone as it would 'hurt tourism'.

He said: 'What will happen after the announcement is it will affect the number of foreign tourists when tourism has just recovered. Chiang Mai province will definitely lose tourists who plan for short- and long-term stays. That is what we are worrying about.'

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particles - which cause cancer and other debilitating illnesses - are recorded every year in Thailand between December and April when farmers across Southeast Asia burn waste crops to clear their land.

The rudimentary method, known as 'slash and burn', is quicker and cheaper than modern machinery, leaving relatively poor landowners unwilling to heed environmental and health concerns over economic necessity.

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.

Researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, found that exposure to PM 2.5 air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

In December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai - one of the world's worst cities for air pollution - died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM 2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

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

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.