The first shipment of 258 tonnes of cadmium slag, from Samut Sakhon and Bangkok, has safely arrived at a temporary staging point belonging to the Bound & Beyond Company in Tak province.
Some bags containing the cadmium fell from a trailer truck when two chains securing the bags during the journey broke as a forklift was transferring the bags to another truck bound for the company’s warehouse.
The accident prompted the supervising committee, led by the permanent secretary of the Industry Ministry, to suspend the unloading until the committee decides what to do next.
Led by police vehicles from the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division, the two convoys of ten trucks arrived at the staging point this morning, about four hours behind schedule.
The cadmium slag, which is in huge bags, will be checked by Industrial Works Department officials before being stored in a warehouse belonging to the Bound & Beyond company.
The delivery process was watched by a group of residents of Nong Bua Tai sub-district, some of whom said that they were there to make sure that everything was all right and that safety standards were maintained.
Dr. Apichart Wachiraphan, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, said that, if the cadmium bags break or the slag spills out during the journey, those involved in the transport process should avoid direct contact with the substance, should immediately put face masks on and stay far away from the slag.
Those who are directly involved in handling of the slag must wear protective gear, he added.
