Pollution Near Miss

[PhilHarries]

This from today's Bangkok Post.

Slippery mess covers highway

Chachoengsao _ A short section of highway became a dangerous slipway early yesterday after about 100 kilogrammes of chemical powder fell off a truck and coated the road surface. The yellow powder, packed in 25 sacks, spilled over the surface and rapidly formed a greasy paste in the warm, humid conditions.

The spill occurred around 3am in Ban Pho district. Police called to the scene requested the Phu Saen Dat tambon organisation administration and local highways office to clean up the mess and they began spraying water to wash it away.

This brought protests from nearby residents when the gunk flowed into nearby Klong Saen Phu Dat, which empties into the Bang Pakong river.

The provincial health chief later identified the spilled substance as polyaluminum chloride, a non-toxic salt used in deodorants and for water purification. ''Luckily, the chemical is not harmful to humans or to the environment,'' said Wattana Kanchanakamol.

''It has similar properties as alum, which is widely used to treat wastewater, therefore, it will cause no harm to the rivers,'' he said.

Provincial environment officials collected what was left of the chemical and planned to distribute it to hospitals and local organisations for use in sewage treatment.

Full article here.

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/12Apr2007_news08.php

What the hel_l were they thinking of washing the chemical away before they even established it's identity? In any case chemicals, whether harmfull to the environment or not, should not just be swilled away into rivers. Sugar is not harmfull to the environment is it, but ask the fish farmers at Autthaya and you'll get a different response.

And to compound their stupidity they are going to distribute the remaining bags to hospitals and local oragnisations for use in their wastewater treatment plants. Each wastewater plant is specifically designed to treat the particula waste it receives and the design is centered around specific chemicals. You can't just throw any old stuff in just because it has "similar properties" to another chemical used in wastewater treatment.

I only hope someone who knows what he or she is doing get to give this a look over before these clowns do some real damage.

[kayo]

I'm getting fed up of people blaming me for everything.

Yours sincerely,

Forum klown,

[Jamie]

Definitely not good to be spraying water on an unknown chemical. Perhaps the sacks had identification marks on them? In any event, I have a feeling HAZMAT response teams are not the norm there.

[backflip]

The klongs are already polluted, and a little more crud won't hurt.

[candoman89]

Thai packaging would list PAC (poly aluminum chloride) on the label but the HAZMAT guys here would probably not know what it was. Adding PAC to the Klongs would clean them up immediately (PAAC is used for wastewater treatment to get the floaties out of it and removes all color) but within 24 hrs they would be back to stinking fetid black water open sewers.

[meemiathai]

What the hel_l were they thinking of washing the chemical away before they even established it's identity? In any case chemicals, whether harmfull to the environment or not, should not just be swilled away into rivers. Sugar is not harmfull to the environment is it, but ask the fish farmers at Autthaya and you'll get a different response.

And to compound their stupidity they are going to distribute the remaining bags to hospitals and local oragnisations for use in their wastewater treatment plants. Each wastewater plant is specifically designed to treat the particula waste it receives and the design is centered around specific chemicals. You can't just throw any old stuff in just because it has "similar properties" to another chemical used in wastewater treatment.

I only hope someone who knows what he or she is doing get to give this a look over before these clowns do some real damage.

Clowns?

Wonder what kind of a clown you will be in the eyes of a doctor with the way you treat your body! Do you smoke, drink...?

Wonder how Albert Einstein would try to address you! Dumb?

[kayo]

phil doesn't drink, do ya phil...

whatever meemia, this isn't the health forum.