Latest discovery brings cadmium waste recovered to 9,474 tonnes

In a Facebook post, CIB said its officials raided a factory in Klong Madua area of Samut Sakhon’s Krathum Baen district and found 1,000 tonnes of cadmium waste there.

Pol Maj-General Watcharin Phusit, commander of the environment crime suppression division under CIB, said his officers called on the Industrial Works Department to be part of the raid on the factory, which was the fourth where the waste was found.

He said his officers would check with the department to see if this factory had received permission to store the dangerous materials. If it has not, then the owner will be charged with violating the public health and building control laws, the division chief added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Julapong Thaweesri, director-general of the Industrial Works Department, revised the figures for cadmium waste that has been recovered and is still missing.

Julapong said the Bound and Beyond Plc, which owns an old and defunct zinc ore smelting facility in Tak, had sought permission to transfer 15,000 tonnes of cadmium waste from its burial ponds. The actual weight of cadmium waste moved from the smelting facility was 13,832 tonnes.

Earlier this week, the cadmium waste was tracked down at three locations, namely:

• J&B Metal Co Ltd, Moo 2 Village, Tambon Bang Nam Jued, Muang district, Samut Sakhon; 3,040 tonnes

• A factory in the Klong Kiew area, Ban Bueng district, Chonburi; 4,400 tonnes

• Cin Hong Cheng Inter Tech (2008) Co Ltd, Tambon Bang Nam Jued, Muang district, Samut Sakhon; 1,034 tonnes.

With 1,000 tonnes recovered on Tuesday, officials still need to locate another 4,358 tonnes of the waste.

Exposure to cadmium in air, food, water and particularly tobacco smoke can cause serious health problems.