The Department of Industrial Works is issuing tighter controls on cyanide after a suspected case of serial poisoning murders sparked concern that it is too easy to obtain the deadly chemical in Thailand. 

Famous actress Preechaya “Ice” Pongthananikorn is among the many customers who bought cyanide from the same company as suspected serial killer Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn.

Preechaya says she bought the cyanide to poison monitor lizards, explaining that the large reptiles frequently strayed into her home and threatened her pets.

“I was ignorant. This is a big lesson for me. I hope others will learn from my case too,” the actress said after being grilled by police for more than four hours recently.

The Department of Industrial Works said it will lodge a police complaint against Preechaya for abusing cyanide. If convicted, she faces up to three years in jail and/or a maximum fine of 300,000 baht.

Rapidly acting and deadly

Cyanide is a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that interferes with the body’s ability to use oxygen. Cyanide can take the form of a colorless gas or liquid, such as hydrogen cyanide or cyanogen chloride. It also comes in crystalized solid form, as sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide.

Assoc Prof Weerachai Phutdhawong, a chemistry lecturer at Kasetsart University, said Preechaya might have purchased the industrial cyanide due to a misunderstanding.

“The type of cyanide she bought is different from the type that has been used to euthanize animals at pet hospitals,” he said. “Industrial cyanide is very dangerous.”

The celebrity medical Mor Lab Panda Facebook page says potassium cyanide – a type of industrial cyanide – can prove deadly in tiny amounts. People can die after ingesting just a few hundred milligrams per kilo of their body weight.

“People need emergency hospital treatment if they consume this chemical,” it warned.

Weerachai said people who wanted to chase away reptiles from their homes could just use sulfur, lime, and rat poison.

Industrial Works Department to plug legal loophole on trading of cyanide

Too easy to purchase?

Thailand does not produce cyanide, which instead needs to be imported into the country.

Currently, the duty of controlling sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide falls to the Department of Industrial Works. Though dangerous, these two substances serve various industrial applications, such as metallurgy processes for electroplating, metal cleaning, and lab work.

Fourteen companies currently import potassium cyanide to Thailand. Total imports amount to 80 tons per year, with records showing the products are sold on to more than 2,000 small-scale users. Authorities control imports because the chemical is considered a Type 3 substance under the Hazardous Substances Act.

“Importation of cyanide is allowed for industrial use and research purposes only,” said Chulapong Taweesri, director-general of the Department of Industrial Works.

However, a quick internet search shows it is relatively easy to get hold of this dangerous chemical in Thailand. Preechaya, for one, ordered the substance online and got it delivered to her home.

Under current rules, small-scale users do not need a permit for cyanide possession unless they use more than 100 kilos in a six-month period. Neither do they have to declare what their purchased cyanide will be used for, unless the volume they buy is huge.

Tighter rules

Authorities are now planning to tighten rules on cyanide, apparently in a bid to prevent abuse and illicit use of the hazardous substance – including as a poison. The Department of Industrial Works says it may require importers to produce their lists of buyers before it gives permission for shipments. It adds that small-scale buyers may be asked to register themselves for cyanide purchases in the same way that they buy SIM cards. They may also need to declare what they intend to use the cyanide for.

In addition, authorities plan to seek cooperation from e-shopping platforms in barring the online distribution of cyanide.

By Thai PBS World