Thinking about it

Anjira Assavanonda

Saraburi

For years school teachers and students in Tambon Napralan in Saraburi have been breathing in dust from rock blasting businesses nearby unaware that the clouds of dust posed a health hazard.

Worse than that, teachers and parents seemed hardly to care about their own and their children's health. Most of them were reluctant to complain to the provincial authorities - not only because their grievances are unheeded, but also because quarrying provides for their livelihood.

Saraburi was earlier home to over 70 limestone and rock mines and the level of rock dust in the atmosphere is worrying. From 1989, a survey by the Pollution Control Department found that the level of rock dust has exceeded the standard 120 microgrammes per cubic metre. In Tambon Napralan alone, where around 50 rock grinding factories line the main road, the density of fine dust in the air (smaller than 10 micrometres) recently reached 1,700 mg/cu m.

Health experts say accumulation of small particles of dust can cause illnesses related to respiratory problems - including silicosis, a kind of lung disease.

In 1996, the Public Health Ministry's Occupational Health Division conducted a survey to find out the prevalence of silicosis among students and teachers at Napralan School. The study revealed that three out of 40 students, and nine out of 46 teachers had symptoms of silicosis.

There are two types of silicosis - acute and chronic. Acute leaves sufferers with shortness of breath, a dry cough, and cyanosis due to lack of oxygen. The symptoms for chronic silicosis usually appear after anything between three and twenty years. Patients tire easily, have difficulty breathing and risk contracting tuberculosis.

'Children here are still forced to breathe the polluted air because most parents are workers at the quarry sites and the factories," explained Sompong Thoopwong, director of Napralan School. "They are afraid they will be unemployed if the factories are forced to close."

Even one of the teachers at Napralan School who was found to have silicosis said she was worried the school would be in trouble if the quarries were closed.

Suntri Sri-aram, 42, said 90 percent of the parents are working in the quarries and rock-grinding factories. These people will lose their jobs if the business is suspended, and this means students will face hardship.

Ms Suntri, however, admitted her health has worsened after long exposure to the dust. She has been teaching at Napralan School for 18 years and her house is also near the school. Five years ago she found herself unable to breathe easily.

"I get tired easily, and always suffocate when exposed to dust. I can't breathe as easily and deeply as ever. At first I thought this was because I'm getting older. I didn't know anything about silicosis until the health workers found that I had contracted the disease two years ago," she said.

Doctors told her silicosis is an incurable disease. The best treatment is to avoid exposure to dust and there is no medicine to effectively combat the disease.

She said: "Sometimes I feel despair when thinking that my life may be shortened. One of my friends who worked in the rock-grinding factory also contracted silicosis. Her symptoms were so severe that one of her lungs had to be removed."

Consistent support from quarry owners to the schools is another reason that teachers kept their mouths shut about the impact of stone grinding on their lives.

"Nobody here wants to cause them (the quarries) trouble. The operators are kind to us. Our school can survive because of their help. Donations, teaching equipment and even anti-dust equipment like face masks mostly come from them," she said.

Another school principal in Tambon Napralan who declined to be named admitted his students and teachers suffer every day from heavy clouds of dust because there are about 15 rock grinding factories nearby. However he said he has never considered fighting the quarry operators.

"Parents at our school are poor. They came here to get jobs mostly in the quarries. They know they are living with dust 24 hours a day, but they still chose it. If the factories were closed, it meant they would have nothing to eat. Between dust and rice, they think about rice first," added the principal.

Mr Sompong of Napralan School said many schools had provided pupils and teachers with pieces of cloth to cover their noses and mouths, but the cloths are not popular among the children. Some schools installed air-conditioners in several rooms including the meeting room, teachers' office, sound lab, and computer room, while others covered school buildings with a wet net which could only filter large-size dust.

However, small-size dust, especially silica particles smaller than 10 micrometres still exist in the air. This type of dust mostly comes from rock-grinding processes. It is hard to prevent since the particles are so small that even the thin linen cloth cannot filter them.

Air pollution caused by rock blasting is likely to continue in Saraburi until there are more industrial controls - and in the meantime more and more people will suffer from the incurable disease silicosis. The authorities do not have the will or courage to put in place practical anti-pollution measures because rock-blasting businesses make large profits and powerful politicians are involved.

The Occupational Health Division, in 1995, studied people living near quarry sites and found 12.5 percent had silicosis, while 8.9 percent were highly susceptible to tuberculosis.

Another study at Napralan School in Muang district found 21.3 percent of teachers had the incurable disease.

The study at Napralan School has shown the Office of National Primary Education Commission (Onpec) that teachers and students are at risk.

Consequently, Onpec asked other agencies, including the Public Health Ministry's Health Department, the Industry Ministry's Mineral Resources Department which oversees quarry operations, and the Pollution Control Department to work together to deal with the problem.

Schools have been given face masks and air-conditioners and have been told to grow plants. Roads outside schools have been sprinkled with water to reduce dust.

However, an Occupational Health Division source admitted the face masks were not that effective, since dust smaller than 10 micrometres, especially silica dust, could get through.

"Besides, we can't force people to wear masks all the time since it's annoying. Teachers and students may use them when they are at school but what can we do if they throw them away at home?" said the source.

The source said greater controls were needed over the quarry blasting, grinding and transportation processes.

The main problem, however, was that rock-blasters usually did not care about air pollution problems. Legal action had not been taken against them because businesses were mostly backed by powerful politicians.

Quarry operations are now overseen by the Mineral Resources Department under the Industry Ministry, following a cabinet resolution two years ago which declared rock blasting a mining industry.

A source at the Mineral Resources Department said measures to control quarry operations had been ineffective because the power to grant blasting licences lay with the Interior Ministry's Lands Department, while the Industrial Works Department oversaw quarry operations.

The Lands Department did not have engineers or geologists who could examine rock blasting areas and the agency had failed to set up proper anti-pollution measures.

A lack of cooperation between the two agencies had also opened the door to allowing rock blasters to encroach on fertile forest areas. The regulations governing the safe distance between mining sites and communities were largely violated.

Since 1996, when the Mineral Resources Department took over responsibility, the situation has gradually improved. Ministry regulations have been established to strictly control blasting and grinding.

The department has already set up 299 mining zones nationwide instead of letting companies choose their own mining sites.

Quarry sites and rock grinding factories must have anti-pollution systems, such as sprinklers and cover all equipment to prevent dust arising from the grinding process.

Quarry operators are also required to conduct environmental impact assessment studies and implement pollution mitigation measures once their concessions are up for renewal every five years or if they apply for new ones.

Local mining engineers have to examine quarry sites and factories each month to check if the operations meet safety standards, and report to the Mineral Resources Department regularly.

Although the department is able to control most new quarries there are problems with those granted concessions before the enforcement of new regulations in 1996.

"Some have connections with politicians. They know how to exploit loopholes in the law," said the source.

Regulating the transport process was also hard because buyers were usually responsible for carrying rocks, which officials had little control over.

"Usually rocks being carried by truck are not covered with plastic sheets. Transporters say covering is a waste of time since they have to make as many deliveries as they can in a day. One ton of rocks costs about 70 baht," said the source.

The department plans to spend 300 million baht over the next three years on cutting down the amount of dust created by quarrying operations in Saraburi.

Chulalongkorn University has been hired to design and install dust filters at five model quarries in the province. If the filters prove effective they will be installed at other quarries around Saraburi. The project is expected to expand to other provinces like Suphan Buri, Chon Buri and Ratchaburi.