A recent report is suggesting one troubling source of the heavy chemicals filling Bangkok's air in recent weeks. The report says the toxins may be coming from cremated human bodies at Buddhist temples. The dangerous concentration of pollutants that has engulfed the Thai capital is estimated to be costing the Thai healthcare and tourism sectors over 200-million dollars. With more, here's Tony Cheng in Bangkok.

The city of Angels, wreathed in a halo of smog. Bangkok, the most visited city in the world, but these days, also one of the most polluted.

The government has scrambled to respond. These water cannons were deployed to fire a fine mist of vapour to try and clean the air.

And elsewhere planes flew over the capital to try and seed clouds and prompt rain. This the dry season, however, and it's not expected to rain for months. With the pollution getting worse, the authorities appear to have no response.

ASWIN KWANMUANG BANGKOK GOVERNOR "People are saying this is the wrong solution to fix the root causes, and we have to admit that it is right, but we need to start now. I am asking for help from Bangkok residents to work on it together."

Residents are trying to protect themselves as best they can and face masks are now common for anyone in the city center, but even masks are pretty ineffective against this sort of fine particle pollution.

EAK BANGKOK RESIDENT "It's a frequent issue and it needs different approaches but I want the government to come out and do something about it."

WAN FLOWER SELLER "Sometimes my nose hurts here because this is the center of the city, and it's much worse than before."

Those concerns are very valid. Recent research shows that toxic heavy metals like cadmium, tungsten and arsenic are in the smog, in dangerously high concentrations.

The fine particle dust, PM2.5, is so small it can penetrate deep into the lungs and arteries. And for some, cleaning up Bangkok will be too late.

RATTANASIRI KITTIKONGNAPANG PROJECT LEADER OF RIGHT TO CLEAN AIR GREENPEACE SOUTHEAST ASIA "It's also the reason for premature death in Thailand for more than 37,000 people."

"37,000 a year?"

"yes.”

Even high above the city, there's no escape.

TONY CHENG BANGKOK "This is Bangkok's latest tourist attraction, a glass platform with nothing underneath atop a 300m drop, but scary as this is, the greater danger is out there in the air."

At that height, elevated hundreds of meters above the street, the atmosphere should be much better.

But our monitor showed a reading of 174 AQI, breathing this is worse than smoking twenty cigarettes a day.

And that will likely deter the millions of visitors who come to Bangkok each year. This may be known as the land of smiles, but you won't see it hidden behind a mask. Tony Cheng, CGTN, Bangkok.