Thailand’s factory fire also dominates when health fears outweigh drugs | Natural Issues

Drugs at a factory outside the Thai capital resumed on Tuesday, spewing out another deadly black smoke in the air and highlighting the dangers of a company accident that killed one and injured many others.

It took firefighters more than 24 hours to put out the blaze started with an explosion around 3am on Monday which sounds for miles and blows windows and doors from nearby houses.

Despite efforts by firefighters to prevent the burning of styrene oil and continue to damage the area with water and foam, flames resumed and burned for about an hour Tuesday afternoon.

Minor debris left in the Ming Dih Chemical factory except for the twisted frames and the remains of his buildings that were destroyed by the blast.

More than 60 people were injured in the crash, including 12 who responded abruptly, and more than 30 of them were hospitalized. One man, identified as an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter, was killed in the blaze.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, speaking from Bangkok, said firefighters had announced that the fire had been monitored and was about to be extinguished “early in the morning”, but it resumed.

“We also saw huge clouds of black chemical fumes in a plastic factory on fire,” Cheng said. About 200 people in the area have been “relocated”, he said, adding that they were worried about their return.

Although firefighters said the fire had been re-inspected, there were still dangers – especially that it was raining in the area which could re-ignite as a result of the treatment, Cheng said.

Police are asking the factory manager to investigate the cause of the explosion, who told them he and eight other workers were awakened by the smell of medicine and fled before the explosion, said Chumpol Poompuang, the state police chief.

Authorities have ordered a 5km (3 miles) area around the foam and plastic factory – near Bangkok’s main airport – to evacuate the factory, setting people free to breathe and warning them that they could cause dizziness and vomiting, as well as cancer for a long time.

Health problems

On Tuesday, Attapol Charoenchansa, head of the country’s pollution control department, said teams were testing the air and water conditions in the factory area, and were considering reducing refugee status so that more people could return home.

He warned, however, that the rains that began to fall on Tuesday afternoon could wash the chemicals out of the waterways, which would be difficult to control.

ASEAN The Human Rights Parliament, a regional human rights group, has called on the Thai government to provide the public with more information on the drugs that have been released, as well as all the results of the potential contamination.

It also stated that firefighters and others working on the site, many of whom were wearing only the strictest equipment required by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – or not – when striking a fire, had to wear adequate armor during cleaning.

“Now is the time to understand the impact of fires and explosions, and to ensure that all those who are still working nearby are adequately protected,” said Philip Elago, a member of the group and Philippine lawmaker.

“Seeing firefighters with a surgical mask fighting the deadly cancer was a horrible thing. The government must urgently provide enough resources for all those at risk, ”he said.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has instructed government officials to gather as much as they can by depleting land, groundwater, city drinking water and air to “reduce long-term and long-term problems.”

“Although the fire is under control, our work has not been completed,” he said in a Facebook statement.

Officials said the initial quake damaged nearly 100 homes and 15 cars.

It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

Styrene monomer is used in the manufacture of discarded plates, cups, and other items, and may emit toxic fumes when ignited.

The same drug also releases styrene, a neurotoxin, which can prevent people from breathing for a few minutes and can be fatal. Last year in the Indian city of Visakhapatnam, the release of styrene gas from a pharmaceutical factory killed 12 people and injured more than 1,000 people.

The area around the factory is interspersed with old industrial sites and new buildings built after the airport opened in 2006.