Canal Chemical Pollution Levels Alarming: Greenpeace Thailand

[webfact]

Canal chemical pollution levels "alarming," says Greenpeace

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Greenpeace claims two canals in Samut Prakan province - near an industrial zone and connected to the lower Chao Phya River - were tainted with hazardous chemicals at a level "high and alarming" enough to affect human hormones and cause cancer.

The environmental watchdog agency conducted the investigation earlier this year into chemical discharges from two textile manufacturing facilities and contamination of nearby canals that flow into the lower Chao Phya.

A Greenpeace water patrol had samples of wastewater released by the two factories into the Samrong, Bang-nang-kreng and Bangplakod canals and found two of them to be contaminated with a wide range of dangerous pollutants.

They included nonylphenols - environmental contaminants and hormone disrupting chemicals - as well as 2-naphthalenamine, a human carcinogen formed from the chemical breakdown of certain dyes.

The study also found in the wastewater tri-iso-butyl phosphate (TiBP), a toxic chemical used in the textile industry.

"The results of this study are alarming and reveal the hidden dangers from chemical industrial pollution," Ply Pirom, toxics campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said.

" These chemicals are very difficult to detect and are even harder to clean up from the water," he added.

The use and discharge of nonylphenols and 2-naphthalenamine are regulated in other countries. Once such chemicals are released, it can be difficult to eliminate them from the environment, Ply said.

According to the study, water samples collected from Samrong canal contained nonylphenols and TiBP as well as high concentrations of copper, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc - all exceeding Thai surface water quality standards by three to eight times. Canal sediment samples contained high concentrations of chromium, copper, nickel, and lead, with zinc levels up to 30 times higher than normal in uncontaminated surface water.

Meanwhile, Bang-nang-kreng canal water samples were also contaminated with nonylphenols and TiBP, and contained copper and nickel at levels over two times Thai surface water quality standards.

Bang-nang-kreng canal sediment held the highest concentration of chromium, copper, nickel and zinc, with nickel concentrations 30 to 80 times higher than typical background levels.

The Bangplakod canal was largely uncontaminated with metals and organic pollutants.

Ply said action is needed urgently. Both the Department of Industry and the Pollution Control Department are failing to prevent chemical contamination of water resources. Additionally, the chemical management approach does not adequately address the issue of toxic chemicals used and released by Thai industries.

He said Greenpeace would send an official letter to the Department of Industry, the Pollution Control Department, and to the Samut Prakan province governor, recommending strict control over the discharging of contaminated wastewater into the canals.

-- The Nation 2010-07-14

[rucus7]

Lack of environmental controls helps to keep Thailand competitive in the Global market. It is unlikely that Foreign investors care.

[Jimi007]

I'm not exactly shocked by this report... I'm sure this is just a small portion of the industrial pollution in Thailand. And Thailand wants to build nuclear power plants?

[haveaniceday]

A map on Google earth or similar would make reading this story, much easier to understand.

I see at least once every two weeks, tankers opening pumping liquids into open drains / canals.

[siampolee]

Certainly along by the tannery section in Samut Prakarn there was, and still is a lot of chemical discharge into the waterways. tannery waste chemicals are indeed some of the most long lasting and toxic materials used in any industrial process.

In my home town in England the local tannery site was cleared after the tannery ceased production, and declared a housing zone. Twelve years down the road work is still halted due to contamination of ground and the local water table by highly toxic chemicals.

This at a site where there was indeed a very high level of pollution control , having said that the tannery had been in existence for some ninety years upon the same site and the resultant contamination dates from the time the tannery was established.

the above situation to my mind demonstrates clearly how dangerous and toxic many chemicals are, it is worth remembering the Bhopal tragedy and the fact that the contamination from that fatal event has now spread into water courses and the soils some four to five miles away from the original site.

That situation is again due to a total disregard for safety measures and an understanding of pollution, which sadly is the case here in Thailand. Money talks, people die and suffer appalling birth defects or later on crippling illnesses due to the chemical pollution on both the food chain and the locally grown food products both animal and vegetable.

[zthyadat]

Lack of environmental controls helps to keep Thailand competitive in the Global market. It is unlikely that Foreign investors care.

Yes, dumping toxic crap into waterways and lowering the IQs and lifespans of your population really help to maintain that competitive edge.

[Pib]

I've told the wife that if I ever fall in a Thai canal don't try to rescue me, don't wash me off, don't take me to the hospital, etc., Instead just shoot me as I don't want to die a slow death from what ever chemicals, sewage, garbage, and lord knows what else that is dumped/flows into Thai canals. Yeap, just shoot me between the eyes.

[edgarfriendly]

cess pit?

wait 4 the 'enlightened' to tell anyone who doesnt respect the thaillution, to leave..

cos that will solve the problems wont it...

ef

[khaowong1]

And Thai's shake their head at me and think I'm nuts when I tell them I won't eat any fish caught in a canal or a lake. Not even the river. If it doesn't come from way out in the bay or ocean, they can eat by themselves.

[bangon04]

<BR><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT size=4>And Thai's shake their head at me and think I'm nuts when I tell them I won't eat any fish caught in a canal or a lake.  Not even the river.  If it doesn't come from way out in the bay or ocean, they can eat by themselves.  <IMG class=bbc_emoticon alt= src="http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif"> </FONT></FONT><BR>

Fishing in the San Saeb is easy - the fish hurl themselves gasping out of the water, begging to be taken anywhere else...

Edited July 14, 2010 by bangon04

[asiawatcher]

Good old Greenpeace. No rubber duckies and flags, ladders, just simple pots to obtain water samples and yes we do need a watchdog but for Thailand deaf dumb blind and stupid comes to mind regarding any Govt official who has the mandate to do anything about it and if he does, the factories will pay him a years salary in advance and he will look the other way. Round and round it goes...

[Alex8]

Certainly along by the tannery section in Samut Prakarn there was, and still is a lot of chemical discharge into the waterways. tannery waste chemicals are indeed some of the most long lasting and toxic materials used in any industrial process.

In my home town in England the local tannery site was cleared after the tannery ceased production, and declared a housing zone. Twelve years down the road work is still halted due to contamination of ground and the local water table by highly toxic chemicals.

This at a site where there was indeed a very high level of pollution control , having said that the tannery had been in existence for some ninety years upon the same site and the resultant contamination dates from the time the tannery was established.

the above situation to my mind demonstrates clearly how dangerous and toxic many chemicals are, it is worth remembering the Bhopal tragedy and the fact that the contamination from that fatal event has now spread into water courses and the soils some four to five miles away from the original site.

That situation is again due to a total disregard for safety measures and an understanding of pollution, which sadly is the case here in Thailand. Money talks, people die and suffer appalling birth defects or later on crippling illnesses due to the chemical pollution on both the food chain and the locally grown food products both animal and vegetable.

[Alex8]

Certainly along by the tannery section in Samut Prakarn there was, and still is a lot of chemical discharge into the waterways. tannery waste chemicals are indeed some of the most long lasting and toxic materials used in any industrial process.

In my home town in England the local tannery site was cleared after the tannery ceased production, and declared a housing zone. Twelve years down the road work is still halted due to contamination of ground and the local water table by highly toxic chemicals.

This at a site where there was indeed a very high level of pollution control , having said that the tannery had been in existence for some ninety years upon the same site and the resultant contamination dates from the time the tannery was established.

the above situation to my mind demonstrates clearly how dangerous and toxic many chemicals are, it is worth remembering the Bhopal tragedy and the fact that the contamination from that fatal event has now spread into water courses and the soils some four to five miles away from the original site.

That situation is again due to a total disregard for safety measures and an understanding of pollution, which sadly is the case here in Thailand. Money talks, people die and suffer appalling birth defects or later on crippling illnesses due to the chemical pollution on both the food chain and the locally grown food products both animal and vegetable.

I apologise for my clumsey navigation of this site that I view all too infrequently but here goes. The Bhopal disaster was just that, a disaster on a truly huge scale and the sequel was an international scandal. The victims were writen off like so much trash by a powerful corporation and associates holding high office.

But it pailed into insignificance compared with the mismanaged Chernobyl nuclear power station. That caused massive deaths both to the would-be rescuers in their attempts to contain it and the local population who suffered immediate nuclear fallout. The goverment carried out a programme of mitigation and compelled the evacuation of the majority, some against their wishes.

The core, still to this day, rests who knows how many kilometres below the surface and the water coarse has been contaminated for a radius > than 1000 km. A few elderly inhabitants who refused to leave their homes discovered too late that their livestock, farms and gardens recycled the contamination bringing about carcinogous problems shrinking the thalidomide episode into oblivion.

The Ukraine is still a disaster zone but nobody much cares. The core could errupt again, at any time. The two or three concrete covers they planted, at huge expense, served nothing. Even the new steel roof wil accomplish nothing.

For any of you seriously interested in pollution there's a great deal to discover even without the help of Google and Wikipeadia. Try for instance the Liverpool University research about mercuric oxide used as a pigment for painting yellow no parking lines along our streets. Liverpool City Council finally admitted that they used 80 tons of that paint, each year, to rectify the normal wear and tear of traffic.

Then there's the diabolical cancer-causing outflow of dust, issuing from a smelter, close to Hull that laid a swaith of death across parts of Yorkshire, driven by the prevailing wind. That would never have come to light had not a few mothers recognised each other while queuing with their badly deformed kids while attending St.Jimmey's famous cancer hospital, in Leeds. Those mums asked themselves why they, from such a small area, formed the majority of afflicted families.

Their early attempts to discover the truth were hindered, at all levels, by public servants or private enterprise.

Unashamed to blow the whistle

Alex8

[MESmith]

Anyone have any idea the effect of pollution in irrigation canal water on the rice we eat?  Often see the charred remains of burned plastic garbage on the banks of, or in canals supplying the rice fields.

[whiterussian]

Anyone have any idea the effect of pollution in irrigation canal water on the rice we eat? Often see the charred remains of burned plastic garbage on the banks of, or in canals supplying the rice fields.

Just another bit of salad dressing!

Weed killer kills human cells. Study intensifies debate over 'inert' ingredients

Used in yards, farms and parks throughout the world, Roundup has long been a top-selling weed killer. But now researchers have found that one of Roundup's inert ingredients can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells. The new findings intensify a debate about so-called "inerts" — the solvents, preservatives, surfactants and other substances that manufacturers add to pesticides. Nearly 4,000 inert ingredients are approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

June 22, 2009

Used in yards, farms and parks throughout the world, Roundup has long been a top-selling weed killer. But now researchers have found that one of Roundup's inert ingredients can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells.

The new findings intensify a debate about so-called "inerts" — the solvents, preservatives, surfactants and other substances that manufacturers add to pesticides. Nearly 4,000 inert ingredients are approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Glyphosate, Roundup's active ingredient, is the most widely used herbicide in the United States. About 100 million pounds are applied to U.S. farms and lawns every year, according to the EPA.

Until now, most health studies have focused on the safety of glyphosate, rather than the mixture of ingredients found in Roundup. But in the new study, scientists found that Roundup's inert ingredients amplified the toxic effect on human cells—even at concentrations much more diluted than those used on farms and lawns.

One specific inert ingredient, polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, was more deadly to human embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells than the herbicide itself – a finding the researchers call "astonishing."

"This clearly confirms that the [inert ingredients] in Roundup formulations are not inert," wrote the study authors from France's University of Caen. "Moreover, the proprietary mixtures available on the market could cause cell damage and even death [at the] residual levels" found on Roundup-treated crops, such as soybeans, alfalfa and corn, or lawns and gardens.

The research team suspects that Roundup might cause pregnancy problems by interfering with hormone production, possibly leading to abnormal fetal development, low birth weights or miscarriages.

Edited July 15, 2010 by whiterussian

[tigerboy]

And Thai's shake their head at me and think I'm nuts when I tell them I won't eat any fish caught in a canal or a lake. Not even the river. If it doesn't come from way out in the bay or ocean, they can eat by themselves.

I'm the same way about Thai fish also. In fact if it isn't tuna or salmon, I generally pass on any fish. And then there's those fish balls, mystery meat for sure!!!