Some 20 Injured In Gas Leakage At Map Ta Phut

[george]

Some 20 injured in gas leakage at Map Ta Phut

It was reported that some 20 people were injured in a gas leakage at Map Ta Phut deep seaport Sunday morning.

More details to follow.

-- The Nation 2009-12-06

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[george]

Update:

17 injured in gas leakage at Map Ta Phut

Seventeen people were injured in a gas leakage at Map Ta Phut deep seaport Saturday afternoon.

Officials said Butene 1 gas leaked from the safety valve of Global Hime ship while cargoes were being loaded onto the ship at a terminal at 1 pm Saturday.

Seventeen people suffered nausea after inhaling the gas and were rushed to the Rayong Hospital.

-- The Nation 2009-12-06

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[webfact]

Inspectors find gas leaks at Map Ta Phut from safety valve of lighter in port.

52 local residents affected, two hospitalised

-- TNA 2009/12/6

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[webfact]

20 hospitalised in Rayong industrial estate chemical leak incident

RAYONG, Dec 6 (TNA) -- Twenty persons were sent to hospital for treatment in the eastern resort of Rayong Sunday afternoon for treatment after inhaled a butane chemical substance accidentally leaked near the sprawling Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate.

Sunday’s incident marked the second recent accident after 18 workers were sent to the same hospital Saturday for inhaled gas during a leakage incident with five of them still in critical condition.

The 20 workers were hospitalised after butane leaked while being transported from a factory to the Map Ta Phut port.

No one has shown responsibility for either accident so far.

The incidents took place while members of a four-party panel chaired by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun visited residents in Map Ta Phut municipality for the first time on Saturday to gain first hand information on industrial pollution in the area.

In November, the government appointed a panel to resolve problems prevailing in the area after the Administrative Court temporarily suspended 76 industrial projects in September.

To date, the court has allowed only 11 of a total 76 projects to continue their operations while 65 will remain shuttered until a full court hearing takes place and resolves the matter.

Tasked with accelerating the government’s overall response and balanced assessment as an independent body under Article 67 of the Constitution, the committee will be established to ensure that each project conducts an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and a health impact assessment (HIA), the panel members will stay in the province until Monday. The independent body will be set up later.

-- TNA 2009/12/6

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[syd barrett]

Strange coincidence:

Yesterday in the Bangkok Post (December 5th 2009) on the letters page there was a letter comparing the risks of the Indian Bhopal gas disaster 25 years ago and a possible repetition at Thailand's Map Ta Phut.

[webfact]

More than 50 treated, released in butane leak on vessel at Map Ta Phut

RAYONG, Dec 6 (TNA) – More than 50 residents of Map Ta Phut municipality in the eastern industrial hub of Rayong were sent to hospital for treatment after they inhaled butane leaked from a ship, officials said.Eighteen residents were sent to hospital on Saturday and 40 others sought medical treatment Sunday, with 17 kept under surveillance for a time. All were later discharged.Local residents experienced severe headache, chest pains and vomiting, apparently due to leaked butane, similar to cooking gas.

Officials of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) and the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) said the owner of the ship, the Global Hime registered in Singapore, is prepared to pay for medical bills for the victims. The incident took place when butane leaked from a safety valve aboard the ship while its cargo was being loaded. Officials said the leaked chemical substance was not dangerous and that the safety valve was repaired before the ship departed with its cargo.

Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu, a member of the committee tasked with resolving the Map Ta Phut problem, complained that managers of the industrial estate were unable to stop gas leakage from the ship, which happened Saturday afternoon before it was carried to the nearby communities.

The incidents took place while members of a four-party panel chaired by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun visited residents in Map Ta Phut municipality for the first time on Saturday to gain first hand information on industrial pollution in the area.

In November, the government appointed a panel to resolve problems prevailing in the area after the Administrative Court temporarily suspended 76 industrial projects in September.To date, the court has allowed only 11 of a total 76 projects to continue their operations while 65 will remain shuttered until a full court hearing takes place and resolves the matter. (TNA)

-- TNA 2009/12/6

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[webfact]

Anand slams Map Ta Phut for ineptness

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation.

Published on December 7, 2009

Anand slams Map Ta Phut for ineptness

Former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, who heads a panel tasked with resolving problems involving the Map Ta Phut industrial estate, yesterday slammed the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) over its failure to issue a warning message to the local people immediately after a leak of a hazardous chemical substance.

The delayed warning has caused 17 villagers to be sent to hospital immediately after they inhaled butene 1, which is a hazardous substance and which spread out to the TaGuan and Aoa Pradu villages. The substance was leaked from a cargo ship parked at the Map Ta Phut port. The villagers inhaling the substance were dazed, vomiting, and felt nauseating.

This IEAT's failure was one of several complaints related to environmental problems that Anand has taken the IEAT's executives to task when they met on Sunday at Map Ta Phut industrial estate office.

"Each factories has reported in their document that they could resolve pollution in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate but in practice, the pollution control measure was not good enough and ineffective. This would lower the IEAT's administrative image into the bottom," he said.

The Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate is facing a legal hurdle after the Supreme Administrative Court last week allowed only 11 industrial projects to proceed with their investment and construction programme. At the same time, the Court insisted on keeping other 65 projects on hold awaiting progress on their further commitments to fulfil the health and environmental standards. This legal problem has stalled a massive investment of Bt400 billion at the Map Ta Phut.

IEAT's deputy director Veerapong Chaiperm told Anand that the IEAT was informed at 1 pm on December 5 that the butene1 leaked out from the safety valve of the cargo ship named "GLOBAL HIME". The incident took place while workers were loading cargo from the Map Ta Phut Tank Terminal port. Then the operator immediately issued an order to stop the cargo loading in a bid to repair the leaked point.

Two and a half hours later, the port's operator ordered the cargo ship to move away from the coast by 10 kilometers. Afterward, the Map Ta Phut Terminal Tank's public relations team went to visit villagers who live nearby the port and found that 17 people had fallen ill on December 5 and other 20 people were also sent to hospital on December 6. About 5 of them were admitted to the local hospital.

The IEAT will take all responsibility to the cost of treatment and follow their health conditions after they are discharged from hospital.

The situation now turns to normal and the company is now investigating the leakage of butene1 and suspended the cargo loading.

"This was an emergency accident but the official responded too slow," Anand said. "This would bring the image of IEAT down in the eye of villager. I really was worried about this and at the end it would be burden for the government."

Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sapavasu said he was informed from the Rayong governor at 7 pm on December 5 as the IEAT had to produce official document before report to the high level officials.

" IEAT must have a standard manual to response the emergency accident and control the situation immediately even the chemical substances that leaked into the air was not dangerous," he said.

Anand also blamed to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry for the delay to study the water quality and carrying capacity for the chemical substances in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate and nearby areas.

"I was surprised when the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's permanent secretary told me that the ministry is now studying the carrying capacity of Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate and the contamination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions in underground water even this area has been established many years," he said.

He also added that some measures to handle with the environmental problem just recently prepare to set up and will be not in time to resolve problems.

He said some manufacturers personally informed him about the negative image of IEAT's administration. Meanwhile, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry also informed him that it was interrupted by political influence.

To resolve environmental problems in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, Veerapong said IEAT has joint with Department of Pollution Control to monitor and eliminate the VOC emission after IEAT found the leakage of VOC substances more than 600 points in 2008. Now this problem is under control.

He also added that IEAT is now collecting meteorological datas in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate area to estimate its carrying capacity and expected to release the result next month. Then IEAT will submit the report to National Environmental Board.

IEAT in 2007 also had hired Thammasat University study the relation between VOC substances and health problems of villagers who live nearby the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate area.

He added the emission level of Sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide has decreased during the past few years as manufacturers in the Map Ta Phut has collaborated with the IEAT to comply the five year plan to reduce and eliminate emission.

-- The Nation 2009/12/7

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[PhilHarries]

Strange coincidence:

Yesterday in the Bangkok Post (December 5th 2009) on the letters page there was a letter comparing the risks of the Indian Bhopal gas disaster 25 years ago and a possible repetition at Thailand's Map Ta Phut.

The problem in developing countries is an almost total lack of zoning and segregation beteen industry and residential areas. In Bhopal people were living right outside the fence around the Union Carbide complex, it is similar in some locations around the Map Tha Phut industrial estate. There is no buffer zone for any gas or vapours to disperse before hitting the local population meaning that in addition to being exposed to higher concentrations in the event of a leak there is less time to organise evacuations. Unfortunately leaks are a fact of life with industry such as is found at MTP which is why in developed countries they strictly maintain a buffer zone around any facility. They also maintain a stricter licensing system for the operation of industry and licenses are withdrawn if standards are not maintained.

But then this is one of the reasons multinationals build plants in countries like Thailand, lower standards = lower construction and operating costs = higher profits.

Butene is one of the more benign gases to be found at MTP.

[brahmburgers]

today; gas leak

tomorrow; radiation leak

EGAT will see to that, and you can bet the furry dice hanging from your rear view mirror that when a radiation leak occurs, the following official comments will ensue;

>>>> it's not so bad. The wind has blown it away, so no more problem.

>>>> compensation will be forthcoming (yet when it comes, months/years later, it's a paltry amount).

>>>> it was not our fault because.......(fill in the blanks with any of thousands of soggy excuses)

>>>> That was the old design. Now we have a new design that's foolproof.

[PhilHarries]

>>>> That was the old design. Now we have a new design that's foolproof.

Yes but not idiot proof.

[Stumbo]

Complete mystery to me as to why the locals don't want these poorly controlled toxic industries polluting at will without fear of consequence on their doorstep. No patriotism or sense of civic duty. Songkla swine on that other thread are just as selfish.

But there again according to the Nation, that I read right here on Thai Visa, Taksin is behind it all, despite offerring no evidence what so ever for any associated investment or involvement. Tomorrow they will probably accuse him of opening the gas valve as well.

[animatic]

The 'saftey valve' caused the accident it was reported, wonderful safety for sure.

And the reported delay to warn residents is unconscionable.

Add to that the delay to advise the government directly, because

paperwork must be done properly before the phone can be lifted...

sheer bureaucratic idiocy.

[Thongkorn]

Butane and Propane are not toxic , They are just supper cold until they reach air temperature then they boil off as vapor , Macapton which is injected into Butane and propane to make it smell , so leaks can be detected , Macapton is carcinogenic,

[webfact]

MAP TA PHUT CONTROVERSY

Relevant agencies summoned to explain

By THE NATION

Published on December 8, 2009

The Industry Ministry will be summoning relevant authorities, including the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), today to explain the latest leakage in Rayong's Map Ta Phut area.

"They need to explain why this happened and how they plan to improve their emergency-response plan," the ministry's permanent secretary Witoon Simachokedee said yesterday.

He added that information gleaned from the discussion would be forwarded to Industry Minister Charnchai Chairungrueng and Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu.

After flammable, colourless gas Butene (1) started leaking from a cargo ship at around 3pm on Saturday, 63 people ended up in hospital with dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Of the patients - a year-old baby - was still receiving treatment at Bangkok Hospital Rayong as of press time.

A source at the hospital said the girl had a high number of white blood cells, though it is still unclear if her symptoms are directly related to the leak.

Meanwhile, Rayong Governor Sayumporn Limthai yesterday slammed responsible agencies for taking so long to inform locals of the leak.

"Since the residents did not get any clear instructions they started evacuating out of sheer panic. It was a very confusing situation," he said.

He insisted that authorities should work together in improving the emergency-response plan.

So far, IEAT deputy governor Verapong Chaiperm said his agency had instructed the cargo vessel to stop loading the gas and head out to the sea.

"We wanted the ship to be at least 10 kilometres away from the coast," he said. "By 4pm, we were informing the locals about what happened".

Verapong said strong winds had blown the gas back on shore while the ship was heading out to sea.

"But we have covered the medical bills of everyone affected by the leak," he said.

Excessive inhalation of Butene (1) can cause coughing, drowsiness, fatigue, blurred vision, light-headedness, headache and other effects indicative of central nervous system depression.

The Rayong public-health office is currently checking to see if any local residents are suffering from gas-inhalation symptoms.

The owner of the cargo ship as well as Map Ta Phut Port authorities have already been charged over the leakage.

Sayumporn said a fire at the General Environmental Conservation facility in Map Ta Phut on Sunday night was a minor incident.

"It took firemen just 10 minutes to extinguish the fire and it had no impact on communities," he said.

-- The Nation 2009/12/8

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[Credo]

Butane and Propane are not toxic , They are just supper cold until they reach air temperature then they boil off as vapor , Macapton which is injected into Butane and propane to make it smell , so leaks can be detected , Macapton is carcinogenic,

I fail to understand why people die from propane gas leaks if it's not toxic?  I assume that it must affect the absorption of oxygen in some way.  

I knew a member of the family that is one of the main reasons they put the 'smell' in propane.  Her brother, his wife and I think it was 7 children all died due to a propane gas leak.  This was many, many years ago, but it got quite a lot of press at the time and shortly thereafter the smell was added to propane.  

[Asa]

From wikipedia, it seems butane is hazardous:

"Inhalation of butane can cause euphoria, drowsiness, narcosis, asphyxia, cardiac arrhythmia, and frostbite which can result in death from asphyxiation and ventricular fibrillation. Butane is the most commonly misused volatile substance in the UK, and was the cause of 52% of "solvent related" deaths in 2000.^[2] By spraying butane directly into the throat, the jet of fluid can cool rapidly to –20 °C by expansion, causing prolonged laryngospasm.^[3] "Sudden sniffer's death" syndrome, first described by Bass in 1970,^[4] is the most common single cause of "solvent related" death, resulting in 55% of known fatal cases.^[3]"

^{Thailand has all required laws concerning hazardous industrial materials handling. Only the companies using them are not take them seriously, and the authorities lax enforcement. If only the users see protection/precaution as part of their investment, there would be a lot less accident cases. Where is the much preached good governance ?}