News

Thai PBS World 27 January 2023

Electronic waste (e-waste) and its imports from abroad represent a big burden for the environment and human health. In Thailand, contaminated duck eggs found near recycling plants.

EARTH REPORT 09 January 2023

Citizens of Moo 10 village, Sra Si Liam subdistrict, Phanat Nikhom district, Chonburi province, eastern region of Thailand, spoke to oppose the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for Asia Metal PCL’s galvanization project, at its second public hearing.

Bangkok Post 24 December 2022

One of Thailand's buzzwords of 2022 has been "BCG" -- the acronym used for the Bio-Circular-Green Economic Model. 

BCG has become one of the guiding principles of Thailand's national development, with roots leading back to the Thailand 4.0 policy conceptualised by the governments of General Prayut Chan-o-cha. 

PRESS RELEASE: EARTH & ARNIKA 15 December 2022

BANGKOK/PRAGUE: Recently published analysis confirmed that communities in the Chachoengsao province, Thailand, face severe food chain contamination with some of the world's most toxic chemicals caused by improper electronic waste processing. Samples of analyzed soil, sediments, and duck eggs, common food rich in nutrients, contained record levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The dioxin level in duck eggs from a village near an e-waste recycling factory in Khao Hin Son is the 10^th highest ever measured level in poultry eggs in Asia and the 2^nd highest level measured in eggs from Thailand.

Bangkok Post 24 September 2022 | Punyathorn Jeungsmarn (EARTH Thailand)

During the morning of Sept 22, many residents in Nakhon Pathom province awoke to a foul smell they were unfamiliar with, irritating both their eyes and noses. In neighbouring Nonthaburi, some people were reported to be coughing and sneezing after noticing a "burning-like" smell. 

By EnLAW, EARTH, and Greenpeace Thailand | 22 September 2022

In the early morning of September 22nd, 2022, there was a leakage of hazardous chemical from the Indorama Polyester Industries PCL. Located in Nakhon Chai Si District, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. Citizens living near the factory were affected by foul smell and reported the problems to the regional environmental authorities. Regarding to the incident, Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH), ENLAWTHAI Foundation, and Greenpeace Thailand, which work together in calling for environmental justice in Thailand, including pushing for a Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) law to ensure citizen’s access to pollution information, sees the incident as the latest evidence of how Thai citizens must live with the risk of toxic chemicals and poisons on a daily basis.

EARTH REPORT 16 September 2022

Arnika Association brought Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH) team to visit the Dioxin laboratory of the State Veterinary Institute Prague (@Státní veterinární ústav Praha) in Prague, Czech Republic. 

Ing. Jan Rosmus, Head of the Department of Chemistry and Deputy Directory of the institute brought the team around the Dioxin lab, all the while describing the equipment and processes conducted in the institute. These included Gas chromatography – mass spectrometer or GC-MS, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or ICP-MS and various other equipment. This allowed EARTH team to better comprehend the process of testing for “Persistent Organic Pollutants” or #POPs, a class of pollutants still found in the environment in #Thailand today.

PRESS RELEASE: 15 September 2022 

PRAGUE/JAKARTA/BANGKOK – The international BioDetectors conference took place in Prague on 13-14 September and was attended by experts worldwide. They can use analytical methods to measure the effect of dangerous substances’ “toxic cocktail” on human cells. Organizations from the Global South can also point out specific risks and advocate for more stringent protection of local populations from toxic pollution, thanks to cooperation with European laboratories.

EARTH REPORT 14 September 2022 

EARTH - Thailand presents citizen science project in Thailand at BioDetectors Conference in Prague, Czech Republic

Akarapon Teebthaisong, Research and Technical Officer from Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH), presented a study entitled “Citizen Science Projects in Thailand”, at the 13th BioDetectors Conference 2022, which was held between 13th – 14th September, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic.

EARTH REPORT 23 August 2022

University’s research agency says Thailand is not yet ready to lift any of its Pollution Control Zone, following academic evaluation.

Chula Unisearch, a research agency within Chulalongkorn University, held a technical hearing on the readiness to lift Thailand’s many Pollution Control Zone (#PCZ) - eventually concluding that none of the zones are ready for lifting. #Rayong zone remains one of the least ready, due to pollution exceeding standard levels. A key pollutant identified there has been Volatile Organic Compounds or #VOCs.