SAMUT PRAKAN, July 6 (TNA) – Officials warned people living near the burnt foam bead factory on King Kaew Road not to return to their residences for the time being for safety sake although the fire was already contained.
About 200 residents from the vicinity of Ming Dih Chemical Co took shelter at the Bang Phli Yai sub-district administrative organization. Most of them said they wanted to return home to check their damaged properties.
However, officials warned them not to go home right away and to wait for the Pollution Control Department to check air quality in the vicinity of the plant.
The department initially found styrene concentrations amounted to 1,035.47 ppm in the air within the one-kilometer radius of the factory, which was harmful to health. The concentrations were 86.43 ppm in the three-kilometer radius and 51.77 ppm in the five-kilometer radius.
The department set the safety threshold for styrene concentrations in the air at 20 ppm. Styrene levels of up to 130 ppm will cause limited health impacts and the levels of up to 1,100 ppm can result in severe, but nonfatal, health problems. (TNA)
