As health concerns rise, people react by retaliating.
PUBLISHED: 26 Apr 2024 at 04: 00
Another blaze broke out at Win Process’s Rayong toxic waste storage facility on Wednesday night. The authorities discovered higher levels of harmful toxins in the air over the surrounding area.
As of yesterday evening, the flames at the flower, located in Ban Nong Pawa community in Tambon Bang But of Rayong’s Ban Khai city, had never settled.
The new incident started at Building 3, where aluminum rubbish was kept in, the night before.
According to Kanchalee Navickabhum, deputy director of the Pollution Control Department (PCD ), there were around 10, 000 tonnes of aluminium waste in the building. When a chemical element is on fire, water cannot be used to extinguish it because it would trigger a chemical response that may exacerbate the fire.
Before attempting to extinguish the fire with dust and dirt, firefighters could not stop it from spreading once more.
Tossapol Bawornmote, Ban Khai’s city manager, requested that the rescue group of the NPC firm based in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate send firefighting experts to use the F- 500 encapsulator agent to prevent the blaze.
The plan worked, but Mr. Tossapol claimed late yesterday, the odor of chemical substances was also present in the smoke.
The district captain said that during the procedure, a dozen firefighters suffered injuries, and that the next step would be to remove the smoke.
The PCD reported that all explosive chemicals were entirely burned at the factory’s Building 5, which was where the initial incident erupted. Just paper and plastic fuel sources were left, which is likely to keep the dust for two more days.
The company also conducted an air quality check at eight locations yesterday morning, 500 meters and 5 kilometers northeast of the plant.
The atmosphere around all eight places contained toxic levels of sulphur dioxide, acrylonitrile and hydrogen cyanide, which may cause breathing difficulties, eye pain and body rashes, the company said.
People in the affected areas were informed of the data and advised them to stay in the protection center until the issue is resolved.
Around 100 people from two tambon Bang villages lodged a complaint with Ban Khai Provincial Police Station, asking the PCD’s director-general and the Industry Ministry’s Rayong company to allow Win Process to retain harmful substances at its flower.