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By John Le Fevre
TAK (thaivisa.com): -- Farmers in the premium rice-growing district of Tak are being encouraged to change to sugar cane farming to prevent cadmium from entering the food chain or damaging the international reputation of Thai rice.
Contamination in the region was first detected in 2004 during a study by the International Water Management Institute, which found soil and water supplies in the Huay Mae Tao and Huay Mae Ku areas in Mae Sot district were heavily polluted with the heavy metal.
According to the report more than 13,200 rai (about 70,356 ha or 14,652 acres), comprising paddy, plantations, and residential areas are contaminated with the chemical, widely acknowledged to be highly toxic and carcinogenic,
Three samples of rice taken from Mae Tao river basin in Mae Sot district last week by the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry's Central Laboratory were found to be contaminated with the chemical, which local residents, many of whom are affected by cadmium poisoning, blame on the nearby zinc refinery and smelter operated by Padaeng Industry.
The smelter commenced operation in 1984 and produces more than 110,000 metric tons (about 21,000 short tons) of ingots and die-cast alloy a year.
Hom mali (Thai fragrant) rice from the Mae Sot district is regarded as a premium product and the Commerce Ministry fears toxic contamination could damage the image of all Thai rice and intend to raise the matter at a Cabinet meeting soon.
Government agencies say they cannot confirm the source of the pollution and are instead encouraging farmers to switch to growing sugarcane for ethanol production and to prevent the toxic chemical entering the food chain.
The Padaeng Industry smelter has gained numerous awards over the years for initiatives in saving energy, health and safety and environmentalism, and has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), for three of the last four years.
Cadmium is a by-product of zinc production, with about three-quarters of all cadmium mined being used in batteries – predominantly in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries – and the rest in cadmium pigments, coatings and plating, and as a stabilizer for other products.
Cadmium is one of six substances banned by the European Union's Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, which bans certain hazardous substances in electronics.
Tobacco smoking is the largest single source of cadmium exposure in the general population and it has been estimated that about 10 percent of the cadmium content of a cigarette is inhaled through smoking.
On average, smokers have 4-5 times higher blood cadmium concentrations and 2-3 times higher kidney cadmium concentrations than non-smokers.
-- thaivisa.com 2009-08-04
there goes the flavoured condom market then
