LOP BURI ILLEGAL CHEMICAL DUMPING
22 September 2021
EARTH team visited the illegal dumping of unknown chemicals in Phatthana Nikhom district, Lop Buri province to collect data and
samples for examination and analysis.
At the site, several 200-litre barrels containing chemicals were found, many of them were opened, drilled, or smashed to let the chemicals to flow out.
Alarmingly, high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected by the air quality portable meter (Atmoszense ATMOS-NB-H) where the concentration of the VOCs in several areas of the dumping site reached the maximum scale, at 2000 ppb.
The incident has posed the concerns on environment and local livelihood, as the leaked chemicals could contaminate the agricultural lands of the local communities nearby.
Local people have complained about pungent odor from the dumping site which has caused many people to move out of the area. They are mostly concerned about the impacts of the contamination of harmful substances on their agricultural products, livelihood and health.
