A pile of furnace dust, believed to be contaminated with caesium-137 from a radioactive rod that went missing from a power plant in Prachin Buri a few weeks ago, is still being kept at the steel smelter where it was found.
Authorities have yet to agree on how to handle the irradiated waste.
According to the 2016 Nuclear Energy for Peace Act, radioactive waste management is the responsibility of the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) under the supervision of the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP).
Over two weeks have passed since the incident came to light, yet the agencies are still in the process of drafting a plan to mitigate the fallout from the radioactive incident.
Kitkawin Aramrun, a senior nuclear physicist and deputy spokesman of the OAP, admitted the plan is taking longer than expected, as the office needs to take into account input from experts and residents.
“[An incident like this] has never happened before, so we must proceed carefully,” he said. “But we can assure that everything will be done transparently, and the public will be informed once the plan is completed.”
According to Mr Kitkawin, the plan will include guidelines for the clean-up process, which must be done carefully to avoid exposing anyone nearby to radiation. He said the clean-up would take about one month to complete.
The radioactive waste will be taken safely to its final destination, and the public will be informed of the move and storage location once authorities finalise the plan.
Picking a site to hold the radioactive waste isn’t easy due to the risks involved, he said, pointing to a protest by a local community in Nakhon Nayok, which began after rumours that the furnace dust would be stored at TINT’s office in Ongkharak district spread on social media.
Radioactive waste management is a delicate procedure, so support from government agencies at all levels will be required.
Another factor behind the delay is the residual heat from the smelter’s furnace, which needs to cool down completely before authorities can move in and estimate the volume of radioactive dust, the OAP deputy spokesman said.
Director of Ecological Alert and Recovery, Penchom Saetang, said the OAP’s explanations show how unprepared the country is when it comes to radiation-related incidents.
“Local residents are living in fear after the incident, but the government has stayed silent, as it doesn’t have a proper plan to deal with a large-scale radioactive accident,” she said.
“In fact, we’ve never been ready for such incidents.”