Govt orders re-test for toxins

Authorities will conduct another test to determine the concentration of arsenic in the Kok River, following recent research that found traces of the heavy metal in samples collected from residents living along the river.

- APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

At a meeting chaired by governor Chucheep Pongchai on Wednesday, local officials reviewed the findings of a recent study by a team of researchers from Mae Fah Luang University, which found elevated levels of arsenic in the system of several participants sampled for the study.

Sixteen out of 90 residents who took part in the study had over 0.05 milligrammes per kilogramme of arsenic in their system, with two residents of tambon Thaton having over 1 mg/kg of the heavy metal in their system.

Researchers noted that several participants exhibited neural and/or musculoskeletal symptoms, which suggested heavy metal poisoning.