Metal dust takes a heavy toll on ailing farmer's lungs
Metal-dust clouds from a steel mill at Tambon Deelang in Lop Buri turn day into night. Residents claim the pollution is making them ill.
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A 52-year-old, non-smoking Lop Buri dairy farmer suffering from chronic lung disease claims he fell ill from seven years of inhaling dust emitted by a steel mill near his home.
Sanom Phorat was diagnosed last week with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a medical umbrella term for people with chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. The condition restricts or obstructs airflow to the lungs. The farmer said the steel mill was just 200 metres from his home in Phattana Nikhom district. Sometimes, dust clouds from mill obscured the skies over Tambon Deelang, he said, adding the air smelled foul and his skin, eyes and lungs were irritated. His wife suffers from a rash over most of her body. The couple consulted doctors many times, running up bills of more than Bt20,000. Sanom said he fell ill about two years ago and has lost about 10 kilograms since then. It started with mucus clogging his throat, disturbing his sleep. A doctor at Phra Buddhabath Hospital in Saraburi suspected he had tuberculosis, but the tests came back negative. Later, Sanom noticed he was exhausted easily and went to Phattana Nikhom Hospital, where he discovered he had COPD. He was sent for a thorough check-up at Lop Buri Cancer Centre and was found to have heart abnormalities as well. "I was astonished to be told I have COPD since I don't smoke, so I went to the cancer centre. Confused, I went to Mitraparb Saraburi Hospital, where doctors said I had inflamed sinuses and enlarged lungs. I feel tired easily and sometimes I need electrolyte drinks or even injections so I can keep working," he said. Siriraj Hospital respiratory specialist Dr Prapan Yongjai-yuth confirmed on Thursday that Sanom had bronchitis with COPD. Prapan said he could not say if the condition was caused by dust from the mill without x-rays of Sanom's lungs 10 years ago to compare with their current condition. He will biopsy Sanom's lung tissue to check for metal dust. Prapan explained that metal dust could irritate the respiratory tract, leading to bronchitis and chronic bronchitis. Prolonged exposure caused inflammation of the lung tissue, COPD and, possibly, lung cancer. Sanom's neighbour, Pranom Reungsri, said the mill had not emitted any dust in the first three or four years after it opened in 1997 but later began doing so at night and on weekends. A former village head, Pranom said locals had complained to the Deelang Tambon Administration Organisation, which sent officials to measure the dust emissions. However, the factory stopped releasing dust during the inspections, she alleged. "We've complained so many times we don't know what to do now. No one seems to be able to solve this for us. We've been exposed for six to seven years," she added. Sunee Padungjai lives a kilometre from the mill and said the irritation and smell of the dust forced her indoors. She wears a face mask outside. "The sky over there is dark when they release the dust - like there's a fire," she said, adding that villagers were considering staging a protest. Another villager and public-health volunteer, Somporn Pumpikul, said the dust caused people to stop drinking rainwater because it caused urinary problems. But some were unable to buy bottled water every day. "I have difficulty urinating if I drink rainwater, so I have stopped," Somporn said.
Somroutai Sapsomboon The Nation
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