Environmental officials have stepped up inspections at an abandoned factory in Samut Sakhon province after roughly 200 tonnes of hazardous aluminium dross were discovered improperly stored both inside and outside the premises.
Surin Worakijthamrong, director-general of the Pollution Control Department (PCD), stated that a multi-agency taskforce, comprising the 5th Regional Environment and Pollution Control Office, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), and provincial industrial authorities, was deployed to investigate the site in tambon Na Di of Mueang district.
The inspection followed widespread public concern over potential environmental and health hazards. Aluminium dross, a toxic byproduct of aluminium smelting, can react with moisture to release hazardous ammonia gas.
Air quality tests conducted across eight points inside the defunct warehouse revealed ammonia levels ranging between 0 and 5 parts per million (ppm), while readings taken within a 100- to 500-metre radius detected no airborne ammonia. Field tests on local water sources yielded a neutral pH level between 6 and 7.
To mitigate immediate risks, officials have instructed responsible parties to clear waste materials left out in the open and move them securely back under cover.
Meanwhile, the Na Di tambon municipality has been urged to invoke building control laws to force repairs on the warehouse's damaged roof, preventing rainwater from leaking onto the toxic stockpile.
According to the Samut Sakhon Provincial Industry Office, the site was initially flagged during an inspection in April last year.
Legal proceedings regarding the unlawful possession of hazardous substances classified under Type 3 are currently moving through the inquiry stage, with provincial authorities vowing to accelerate the prosecution while intensifying safeguards to protect local communities.
