Factory should ' lose licence'
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The government should revoke the licence of Bangkok Synthetics, whose factory was the scene of an explosion and major fire on Saturday that killed 11 and injured another 129 people, a major non-government group said yesterday.
“The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) should cancel its licence,” Stop Global Warming Association chairman Srisuwan Janya said.
He pointed out that the disaster was not the first harmful incident at Bangkok Synthetics.
He said in 2009, this company was also responsible for a chemi?cal leak inside the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong.
“The IEAT should consider withdrawing the factory licence of Bangkok Synthetics Company to protect the quality of life of peo?ple who live in 30 communities around Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate. If not, it would be an example for other factories to follow this failure,” he said.
According to Srisuwan, BST Elastomers factory – owned by Bangkok Synthetics Plc – has also been seeking to expand its factory. In March this year, the IEAT held a public forum to gather opinions. The Independent Commission on Environment and Health raised many concerns about the project’s Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) report – required by an article in the Constitution as the factory was classified as harmful to the environment, ecosystem and people’s health – due to the incomplete information
“The recent explosion which killed and injured many people is solid proof that the factory-expansion project should not be approved,” Srisuwan said.
He urged relevant state agencies to pay compensation to relatives of those killed and injured by the massive fire at the Bangkok Synthetics factory.
Meanwhile, Pollution Control Department (PCD) director-general Wijarn Simachaya said air-quality tests around the Bangkok Synthetics factory and nearby communities found 19 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which was quite a high amount.
“We will closely monitor the air quality for the next one or two days,” he said. However, the last air-quality check at the factory found no toluene while up to 200 PPM was allowed at workplaces.
The toluene concentration in nearby communities ranged from 0.1 and 0.4 ppm as of 1pm yesterday. Toluene is a flammable solvent that is toxic. Direct exposure can cause dizziness, nausea and headache. So far, it is not carcinogenic.
It has not accumulated in human bodies too.
Sumetha Wichienpetch, who heads the PCD Chemical Emergency Response Centre, advised locals to avoid storing rainwater for consumption.
