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IPEN & EARTH, October 2019
On 30 September 2019, EARTH visited Benjakitti Park and Lumphini Park located in Bangkok City, Thailand, and screened the playground equipment for lead content. In each playground, painted play equipment and the condition of painted surface were documented. This study shows that 20 out of 24 analyzed pieces of playground equipment contained total lead concentrations above 90 parts per million (ppm), dry weight. In addition, 14 analyzed pieces of playground equipment contained dangerously high lead levels above 10,000 ppm.; 15 out of 16 bright-colored painted surfaces contained lead concentrations above 90 ppm, dry weight; and the highest lead concentration detected was 72,300 ppm in a red monkey bar at a public playground in Benjakitti Park, Bangkok.
Co-Authors: Tanya Lee Roberts-Davis & Penchom Saetang
Ecological Alert and Recovery - Thailand (EARTH) | June 2019
Trading Away Health and the Environment provides an overview of the devastating impacts on the health and well-being of communities in Thailand where industrial waste processing facilities are being developed as part of an ongoing expansion of the transnational business of plastic and used electronics waste and scraps.
Jointly implemented by: EARTH (Thailand) and Arnika Association (Czechia) under the project: “Public participation through citizen science and EIA system enhancement” (Funded with support from the European Union)
Deadline for submitting: 5th July 2019
Authors: Jindřich Petrlík, Alice Dvorská, Václav Mach, Marek Šír, Jitka Straková, Akarapon Teebthaisong, Jana Tremlová, Peter A. Behnisch, Martin Bystrianský, Autthaporn Ritthichat, Penchom Saetang
By Arnika Association and Ecological Alert and Recovery - Thailand (EARTH) | December 2018
The data presented in the studies were obtained during sampling campaigns in Thailand in February 2015, February and March 2016, and February 2017. The sampling campaigns represent an important part of the project “Increasing Transparency in Industrial Pollution Management through Citizen Science.”
Author: Alice Dvorská, Ph.D., | December 2018
Passive samplers are chemical accumulators that can be used to assess ambient concentrations in either homogeneous or heterogeneous media into which they are deployed. They are increasingly employed in investigations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (Shoeib and Harner, 2002). There are various PAS sampling media and designs used. In contrast to high-cost active air samplers, passive air samplers (PAS) do not require pumps, sampling heads and a source of electricity. They are inexpensive and small and therefore increasingly used for POPs monitoring and spatial studies at local, regional and continental scales (Pozo et al., 2009 and references therein).
A report by Fortify Rights, October 2018
This report reveals that Thai authorities and Tungkum Ltd. committed and contributed to serious human rights violations and abuses against members of KRBKG and environmental defenders in Wang Sa Phung District, Loei Province. Violations and abuses include the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, a healthy environment.
Local residents in affected communities surrounding the gold mine largely rely on farming and the natural environment for their livelihoods and sustenance. Water and soil pollution has adversely impacted their daily lives and livelihoods. Residents have also complained about health conditions...
Authors: Petrlik J1,2, Teebthaisong A3, Bell L2,4, Behnisch PA5, Da M6, Saetang P3, Ritthichat A3, Kalmykov D7 | August 2018
Organizations: Arnika, IPEN, Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH), National Toxics Network, BioDetection Systems BV (BDS), Nature University, Beijing, China, and Karaganda Regional Ecological Museum, Kazakhstan
There is a range of studies on PCDD/Fs and PCBs in eggs1-7. Eggs have been found to be sensitive indicators of PCDD/F and PCB contamination in soils and are an important exposure...
Authors: Teebthaisong A, Petrlik J, Ritthichat A, Saetang P, Strakova J | August 2018
Organizations: Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH), IPEN, and Arnika – Toxics and Waste Programme
This study evaluates the results of the analyses for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the free-range chicken eggs in a vicinity of the artisanal recycling workshops in Samut Sakhon, a neighbouring province of Bangkok, Thailand. Free-range chicken eggs were used for monitoring levels of POPs contamination at certain places in many previous studies1-7. Eggs have been found to be sensitive indicators of POPs contamination in soils or dust and are an important exposure pathway from soil
A report by Toxics Link, 2017
Thermal papers are widely used to print the sale receipts in various sectors like grocery stores, gas stations and bank ATMs to ensure fast and accurate services. This paper is also used by the ticketing agencies, lottery systems and other businesses, which require accurate and high volume printouts.
In this study, twelve unused thermal paper samples from both known and local brands of different manufacturers and suppliers were randomly collected from different markets in New Delhi. We found BPA in concentration between 300 ppm and 6600 ppm in thermal papers with the average levels of 3037 ppm, which is exceedingly high and can have serious adverse impacts on human health and environment.
Author: Václav Mach, PhD.
Supporting data: RNDr. Jindřich Petrlík, Akarapon Teebthaisong, Autthaporn Ritthichat
Arnika – Toxics and Waste Programme, and Ecological Alert and Recovery - Thailand (EARTH), November 2017
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that persist over long periods of time in the environment. This study is focused on the presentation of data related to contamination by POPs in 4 hotspot areas in Thailand: The Map Ta Phut industrial complex, the Samut Sakhon hotspot area, the Tha Tum industrial complex, and the Pulp and Paper industrial area near Khon Kaen.
Author: RNDr. Jindrich Petrlik
Supporting data: Akarapon Teebthaisong, Atthaporn Ritthichat
Bangkok, Prague, November 2017
In this study, we present the results of monitoring free-range chicken eggs from selected sites in Thailand which are contaminated by persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Free-range chicken eggs were used for monitoring levels of contamination by POPs in various locations in many previous studies. Eggs have been found to be sensitive indicators of POP contamination in soils or dust and are a significant exposure pathway from soil pollution to humans.
Authors: Penchom Saetang, Faikham Harnnarong, Sukran Rojanapaiwong
Published by:Campaign for Alternative Industry Network (CAIN)
Supported by: Heinrich Böll Foundation
January 2007
Exposing Unsustainable Industries and the Case for Community Right To Know and Prevention [Thailand Bucket Brigade]
By: Campaign for Alternative Industry Network (CAIN) / Greenpeace Southeast Asia (GPSEA) / Global Community Monitor (GCM), October 2005
This report gives fresh evidence that the proposed ‘Community Right To Know Law’ and the ‘National Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) System’ are essentially needed along with better environmental monitoring and direct involvement of affected communities in environmental decision-making with the aim to achieve environmental justice and sustainable society.
Bangkok Post 16 January 2020 | Apinya Wipatayotin and Anchalee Kongrut
The sustainability of the government's flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) plan is at risk of being stymied by drought and water conflicts, water experts warn.
Signs of looming water wars between residents along the corridor and industrial projects have already appeared.
Sustainability Times 14 January 2020 | Darunee Sukanan
Thailand is one of the world’s worst plastic polluters, but local businesses are taking steps to change that. Numerous retailers, including convenience stores, have stopped giving out single-use plastic bags to customers this year.
The New York Times 08 December 2019 | By Hannah Beech and Ryn Jirenuwat
The e-waste industry is booming in Southeast Asia, frightening residents worried for their health. Despite a ban on imports, Thailand is a center of the business.
KOH KHANUN, Thailand — Crouched on the ground in a dimly lit factory, the women picked through the discarded innards of the modern world: batteries, circuit boards and bundles of wires.
Electronics and Shipping Industry Called "Shameful" in Seeking Exemptions
PRESS RELEASE: Seattle, WA, USA. 5 December 2019. The Basel Ban Amendment, adopted by the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous and Their Disposal in 1995,
The Nation 31 October 2019
The amount of waste shipped to Thailand from around the world skyrocketed by 2,000-7,000 per cent between 2017 and this year, according to the watchdog group Earth (Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand).
The dramatic leap came after China decided it no longer wanted to be the world’s garbage bin and halted all imports of waste, which it had initially accepted because of the money to be made from recycling.
EARTH 21 October 2019
Bangkok, Thailand: High levels of lead have been discovered on public playground equipment. The painted play equipment containing dangerous levels of lead poses a serious lead poisoning risk for young children. Environmental health advocates call for urgent action to enforce the ban on the sale and use of lead paint, especially for applications that can expose children to lead contamination.
The Ecological Alert and Recovery - Thailand (EARTH) sounded the alarm over lead-painted play equipment as the UN-backed International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action is observed from October 20-26 with the focus on eliminating lead paint.
08 September 2019 - Croatia's 6th of September deposit of ratification of the 1995 Basel Ban Amendment has allowed this global waste dumping prohibition to finally enter into the force of international law. The Ban Amendment, adopted by the parties to the Basel Convention in 1995, prohibits, the export of hazardous wastes from member states of the European Union, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Liechtenstein to all other countries. With Croatia's ratification, a total of 97 countries have now ratified the ban and most crucially the necessary 3/4 of the parties that were present and voting in 1995. The agreement will become a new Article in the Convention and will enter into force for the 97 countries after 90 days -- December 5th, 2019.
The Nation 05 August 2019
Thirty members of the Network of Eastern Friends led by Gunn Tattiyakul, an NGO activist and coordinator for the Padrew community for sustainable development, protested in front of Government House on Monday while the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) policy committee met inside.
ABC Australia 16 July 2019 | Kathryn Diss
Electronic waste from Western countries, including Australia, is flooding the shores of South-East Asian nations like Thailand, sparking fears of air and water pollution.
In Thailand, scores of new sorting and recycling companies — many of them illegal and with Chinese shareholders — have sprung up in provinces surrounding the country's main port of Laem Chabang. The agricultural district of Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok, is one of the provinces which became a dumping ground for e-waste.
Bangkok Post 14 July 2019 | Sonthanaporn Inchan
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is a well-known flagship megaproject of the military government. The project aims to turn most of the land in the three provinces of Chachoengsao, Chon Buri and Rayong into industrial zones.
Thai PBS 09 July 2019
In an effort to eliminate marine plastic debris, the 10 member states of ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asia Nations) has adopted “The Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Region” at the recent 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok.
ASEAN officials describe the document as a testament to the group’s joint attempts to address the problem in a serious and sustainable manner.
Aljazeera 09 July 2019
Hazardous material and household rubbish found in containers that should have had only waste paper, authorities say.
Indonesia has said it will send more than 210 tonnes of rubbish back to Australia in the latest move by a South East Asian nation against serving as a "dumping ground" for rich countries.
BLT 03 July 2019
In the past few years, ASEAN has been pushing away the shipments of plastic and electronic wastes (e-wastes) from around the world after China, once the largest importers of such materials, stopped accepting them in late 2017.
Statistics showed ASEAN’s imports of such wastes during 2016 and 2018 grew 171% and a survey by Greenpeace suggested that Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand became top destinations for these items.
Bangkok Post 30 June 2019 | Thana Boonlert
Asean Summit ratifies two initiatives to tackle harmful marine debris
The 34th Asean Summit culminated last week with the ratification of two green initiatives that should bode well for the future of the planet.
The Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris and the Asean Framework of Action on Marine Debris aim to strengthen regional cooperation to protect the marine environment. However, environmental advocates are urging all stakeholders to forbid foreign waste imports to reduce marine pollution.
Nikkei Asian Review 27 June 2019 | MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR
BANGKOK -- Thai environmentalists are pressing Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to slow the enactment of a law they say could create a loophole in monitoring pollution and result in Thailand importing more plastic waste from abroad.
The law amends the 1992 Factory Act and is set to take effect in October. The amendment was approved in late February by the National Legislative Assembly, the then military-government's rubber-stamp parliament, to create a business-friendly environment, according to the government.
