Public Health Min warns of toxic waste contamination during rainy season

[webfact]

Public Health Min warns of toxic waste contamination during rainy season

BANGKOK, 15 June 2013 (NNT) - The Ministry of Public Health has warned the public about the dangers of toxic waste during the rainy season as poor garbage management could lead to contamination in natural water sources.

According to Public Health Minister Dr. Pradit Sinthawanarong, discarded electrical appliances and electronics are categorically the type of garbage that poses great risks to human health.

The survey conducted in 2004 suggested that Thailand was producing up to 400,000 tons of toxic garbage each year and rising.

Dr. Pradit said the lower part of the Central Plains, including Bangkok, alone produced 18,000 tons of toxic waste in 2011.

The accruement was due to poor garbage management, which he feared would lead to greater exposure to chemicals during the rainy season as they could be swept away and spread around by the rain.

The Minister stated that as a preventive measure against illnesses caused by toxic waste, people are encouraged to help reduce the amount of toxic garbage in their houses and refrain from purchasing a large quantity of products containing dangerous chemicals.

The release of toxic chemicals into water sources or public spaces must be avoided while garbage separation should be developed in every home as a habit.


-- NNT 2013-06-15

[chooka]

"people are encouraged to help reduce the amount of toxic garbage in their houses and refrain from purchasing a large quantity of products containing dangerous chemicals."

Yes this may help a little but wouldn't it be better to encourage people not to dump their waste in waterways and along the side of the roads. Thailand has a lot going for it and just imagine how many more high end tourists they could attract if people didn't have to step over piles of rubbish littering the streets and if people could actually swim in the waters without the fear of being poisoned.

[Thai at Heart]

"people are encouraged to help reduce the amount of toxic garbage in their houses and refrain from purchasing a large quantity of products containing dangerous chemicals."

Yes this may help a little but wouldn't it be better to encourage people not to dump their waste in waterways and along the side of the roads. Thailand has a lot going for it and just imagine how many more high end tourists they could attract if people didn't have to step over piles of rubbish littering the streets and if people could actually swim in the waters without the fear of being poisoned.

I somehow think that the man assassinated in prachin wasn't campaigning against the dumping of second hand TVs and household cleaning products.

[lovetotravel]

And people still drink tap water here? Crazy.

[Emdog]

"refrain from purchasing a large quantity of products containing dangerous chemicals" Oh yeah, I recall seeing labels on products warning me of dangerous chemical... NOT! Gee, how about some regulation, some standards regarding waste? THis is a Republican paradise: government off everyones backs, "let the marketplace decide".

[SOTIRIOS]

....warning...how about actually doing something about it....

(...by the way...what do you think street vendors use...bottled water...???...)

[cup-O-coffee]

They sure do spend a lot of time and bahts making moot points about moot things. And the interesting thing is, they love to take their moot points to a level of science that defies all logic.

They should spend some more bahts and erect a Ministry of Mootness, and move all these research and study groups into this Ministry of Mootness building. Then they can spend all their time working together to come up with truly amazing moot points regarding issues they have no intention of doing anything about.

Maybe they should create a Thai newspaper called "The Moot Gazette" and post all their amazing moot points and warnings so people can read about these amazing things they already know about; yet like the Ministry of Mootness, they also will not do anything about.

It's all Moot!

Edited June 15, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[chinostar]

Have you seen the poster at Suvarnabhumi airport? Safe to drink tap-water.....

[belg]

did anyone in any supermarket see the battery recyclement program ? i guess not in thailand, right.... cheap tesco batteries that you buy, use a little and throw away... the rechargeable ones, you either don't find or super expensive (more than an average thai day's wager)

[lineofentry]

The only way to solve this is to make it worthwhile to people to be more careful, 5 baht back on old batteries would work wonders for example.

[ratcatcher]

did anyone in any supermarket see the battery recyclement program ? i guess not in thailand, right.... cheap tesco batteries that you buy, use a little and throw away... the rechargeable ones, you either don't find or super expensive (more than an average thai day's wager)

The average Thai quite often wagers their day's wages. After all, tomorrow is another day.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

What trash separation?

In my area of BKK, everyone just has a single trash basket in front of their homes.... And everything all gets dumped together into the same place, and then picked up by the garbage trucks.

But frankly, it's not the routine household trash that's likely contributing the most to contamination from electronics devices dumped into the garbage. The electronics stuff seems to get routinely scavenged beforehand by the motorcycle cart pickup guys... I have no idea what becomes of it after they get their hands on it.

[johna]

The road behind my house is being resurfaced, grading machines have simple pushed the old bitumen into the canal along side the road.Of the 50+ houses on my soi only 2 have garbage cans, nobody wants to pay the ฿40 fee per month.

[lostmebike]

'The Ministry of Public Health has warned the public about the dangers of toxic waste during the rainy season as poor garbage management could lead to contamination in natural water sources'

So the government is now warning the public about the possible causes of their own irresponsibilities!

TIT