Ministry of Public Health monitors health effects from fuel recycling fire

[Lite Beer]

Ministry of Public Health monitors health effects from fuel recycling fire

SAMUT SAKHON, 31 May 2014 (NNT) -The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH ) Dr. Narong Sahametapat has reported that even though the fuel recycling factory fire was extinguished, MOPH has been monitoring and assessing the possible health effects for the people who live in the area.

The combustion of used fuel, emits carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide which can harm the respiratory system. In addition, chemicals in fuel such as benzene can affect blood cell formation and the nervous system. Therefore, health officers have closely monitored factory workers and residents of two villages nearby or within a radius of a kilometer, such as in Krathum Baen district, Samut Sakhon, where approximately 5,000 people live and work.

Dr. Chairat Vejpanich Samut Sakhon Public Health Physician, assigned a medical mobile unit from Samut Sakhon hospital to provide free medical checkups at the factory. Preliminary results found that there were 32 patients suffering throat and eye irritations, headaches, and breathing problems. Four of these patients were urgently in need of treatment.

On 29th May, the Pollution Control Department (PCD) measured the level of air pollution, discovering two chemical residues: Xylene and Toluene. Both residues were emitted from the bursting of used fuel containers. The presence of chemical residue could lead to respiratory disease, skin disease and cancer.

The public is advised to drink at least 8 glasses of water; especially those with co-morbidities, or children, pregnant women and elders. If any symptoms occur, please urgently contact a hospital nearby.

-- NNT 2014-05-31

[FangFerang]

Drink water? Really. The toxins quoted are not even water soluble. Drinking water is a useless exercise.

What about the big trash fire that started two weeks ago and is still burning in places?

No health warnings for those people, no examinations, no help.

The dump is owned by an amart, and everyone knows it...and which means 'bend over, here we come'.

Maybe, and I mean maybe, The General can fix that.............................

[rabas]

Drink water? Really. The toxins quoted are not even water soluble. Drinking water is a useless exercise.

What about the big trash fire that started two weeks ago and is still burning in places?

No health warnings for those people, no examinations, no help.

The dump is owned by an amart, and everyone knows it...and which means 'bend over, here we come'.

Maybe, and I mean maybe, The General can fix that.............................

The solubility of Toluene in pure water is 0.52 g/L at 20 °C. Eight glasses of water can eliminate a lot, or more in a biological medium.

The solubility is the same for reds and yellows, unless the reds have been ingesting nitrocellulose or TNT.

Edited May 31, 2014 by rabas

[jaltsc]

"...MOPH has been monitoring and assessing the possible health effects for the people who live in the area."

How about monitoring and assessing the health effects from the annual burning in the north? Unlike the events mentioned in the article and previous posts, this is an event which is predictable, affects more people over a longer period of time, and can be prevented by "effective" enforcement.

[Chao Lao Beach]

" The public is advised to drink at least 8 glasses of water; especially those with co-morbidities, or children, pregnant women and elders. "

<deleted> ?

Can someone explain this please, could be a medical break through here ?

[FangFerang]

Drink water? Really. The toxins quoted are not even water soluble. Drinking water is a useless exercise.

What about the big trash fire that started two weeks ago and is still burning in places?

No health warnings for those people, no examinations, no help.

The dump is owned by an amart, and everyone knows it...and which means 'bend over, here we come'.

Maybe, and I mean maybe, The General can fix that.............................

The solubility of Toluene in pure water is 0.52 g/L at 20 °C. Eight glasses of water can eliminate a lot, or more in a biological medium.

The solubility is the same for reds and yellows, unless the reds have been ingesting nitrocellulose or TNT.

Um, insoluble means, well insoluble. Toluene is chemically water-insoluble. Further, the solubility of chemicals once introduced into an organism is wildly different than trying to make such a chemical soluble in a purely aquatic environment, much less the other contaminants you carefully did not name. Even better "Toluene /ˈtɒluːiːn/, formerly known as toluol /ˈtɒluːɒl/, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid " try Wiki instead of Weakyleaks. The chemical Toluene destroys nephrons in the kidneys, and makes the processing of water borne contaminants even less viable. Further, the 'cocktail' they were exposed to tends to find its way into the spinal column and bone marrow. The circulation of water in such areas is less than rigorous. The serious health consequences are not immediate, they occur over time, and result in a wide variety of cancers and a shorter lifespan. Telling them to drink water is sweeping the problem under the rug, where ALL Thai governments want all problems to go, reds and yellows alike.

I said I hoped the General could fix it. That started your color-coded whinge which is logically invalid, informational vapidity, and presumptuous at best.

Your statements do not hold any water, much less benzene or methylbenzene. In short, I give you the raspberries.

Add loud volume here.

[rabas]

Drink water? Really. The toxins quoted are not even water soluble. Drinking water is a useless exercise.

What about the big trash fire that started two weeks ago and is still burning in places?

No health warnings for those people, no examinations, no help.

The dump is owned by an amart, and everyone knows it...and which means 'bend over, here we come'.

Maybe, and I mean maybe, The General can fix that.............................

The solubility of Toluene in pure water is 0.52 g/L at 20 °C. Eight glasses of water can eliminate a lot, or more in a biological medium.

The solubility is the same for reds and yellows, unless the reds have been ingesting nitrocellulose or TNT.

Um, insoluble means, well insoluble. Toluene is chemically water-insoluble. Further, the solubility of chemicals once introduced into an organism is wildly different than trying to make such a chemical soluble in a purely aquatic environment, much less the other contaminants you carefully did not name. Even better "Toluene /ˈtɒluːiːn/, formerly known as toluol /ˈtɒluːɒl/, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid " try Wiki instead of Weakyleaks. The chemical Toluene destroys nephrons in the kidneys, and makes the processing of water borne contaminants even less viable. Further, the 'cocktail' they were exposed to tends to find its way into the spinal column and bone marrow. The circulation of water in such areas is less than rigorous. The serious health consequences are not immediate, they occur over time, and result in a wide variety of cancers and a shorter lifespan. Telling them to drink water is sweeping the problem under the rug, where ALL Thai governments want all problems to go, reds and yellows alike.

I said I hoped the General could fix it. That started your color-coded whinge which is logically invalid, informational vapidity, and presumptuous at best.

Your statements do not hold any water, much less benzene or methylbenzene. In short, I give you the raspberries.

Add loud volume here.

"Um, insoluble means, well insoluble."

Um, so you don't know its meaning. Most liquids have at least some solubility in other liquids and solubility is determined by many mechanisms. Insoluble should be defined in which ever reference uses it, and only means less than some given limit. If you don't believe, then look up the solubility of these chemicals in water yourself, Benzene is even more soluble in water than Toluene, here is the relative solubility for Benzene and Toluene.

Benzene solubility in water 1.85 g/L (30 °C)

Toluene solubility in water 0.52g/L (20 °C)

I assume you know that g/L means grams per liter, but maybe others don't. Some references even list benzene as slightly soluble in water, again, that depends on the definition.

References for Benzene:

Wikipedia:Benzene http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzene

US Environmental Protection Agency Factsheet on Benzene http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/pdfs/factsheets/voc/tech/benzene.pdf

For a toxic chemical like benzene, nearly two grams in a liter of water is a lot. Solubility in organic media will mostly be higher because the body contains many organic molecules that contain hydrocarbon components. Benzene has low solubility in pure water mostly because the water molecule is highly polarized while hydrocarbons are not. You should also look up "micelles" and see how soap works. Soap is how we dissolve oils and grease in water when we do the dishes. Retention and transport mechanisms in the body are complex. Of course this is a double edged sword, one does not want the body to retain toxins, as you say the long term effects can be very bad.

As for elimination after exposure, according to the study below benzene is mostly eliminated as it's metabolite, a conjugated phenol in the urine. Conjugated simply means there is hydrogen bonding between the highly acidic phenol groups that leads to much higher solubility in aqueous media.

Pharmacokinetics of benzene......

Quote: " While the principal route for elimination of benzene is the metabolite, conjugated phenol, in urine, the proportion eliminated in breath depends on the duration of exposure in the 1- to 8-hour range." The study was done at about the permissible human limit for benzene exposure, of course there are many variables.

If I were exposed to benzene, I would certainly drink a lot of water, and perhaps exercise, as indicated in the study.

As for smileys, this one needs the strongest I've got.

You mentioned once that you are a scientist. What kind? I am a chemical-physicist.