Blood toxins prompt call for mass tests

Suraphong says mine firm should foot bill

People living near a gold mine in Phichit have called for every local in the area to be blood-tested after random checks showed high levels of toxins in the blood of most who live there.

Residents of Phichit and Phitsanulok who have been affected by the gold mine operated by Akara Mining Plc yesterday sent representatives to the Department of Primary Industries and Mines (DPIM) office to submit their demand.

The locals insisted the tests must be conducted by the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) under Porntip Rojanasunan, and the cost of the tests should be covered by the risk-guarantee fund which is administered by the department.

Tim Lisantia, a villager representative from Wang Phrong’s Ban Khao Kieo in Phitsanulok, said random blood tests conducted in November last year showed 15 out of 40 villagers have high levels of manganese in their blood.

Ban Khao Kieo is about 10km away from the gold mine which now faces an order from the DPIM to suspend operations for a 30-day period.

The 30-day suspension order issued by the DPIM on Tuesday was based on the blood test results.

DPIM director-general Suraphong Chiengtong said the cost of the blood tests should be covered by Akara as the risk-guarantee fund is designed for emergency situations.

However, he said he would ask for funds during a meeting next week, adding that an outsider team could conduct the tests, or funds could be allocated to state hospitals in the area to conduct the tests.

However, Mr Tim said villagers wanted the CIFS to handle the test as the process would be faster than if they were carried out by state hospitals.

Local leader Suekanya Theerachatdam rong said residents have been living in the risk-prone area and they should be allowed access to the fund.

More importantly, she said the villagers had doubted if the mine had suspended its operations as ordered by the department as they still heard explosions and lorries were still driving around the mine.

The operator has stopped providing clean water for the villagers, adding to their plight as they could not afford water for household use.

Mr Suraphong said if the mine violates the suspension order, its licence would be revoked.

He said the suspension has demonstrated that the department has taken strict measures in accordance with the Mining Act.

“That the lorries are still driving in the mine does not mean that the operator has defied the order as the suspension applies to mining activities,” the DPIM chief said.

Mr Suraphong also said the department could check if the mine had suspended its operations by checking its electricity use.

He also said that during the suspension period the gold mine operator will have to provide medical treatment for residents who were found to have toxic substances in their blood.

The department will also give the operator a chance to talk with the villagers and explain its operating process to them.

Meanwhile, Khunying Porntip yesterday confirmed that more than half of the 731 villagers living near the gold mine were found to have high level of manganese and arsenic in their blood.

She said it could not be concluded at this stage whether the high level of toxic metals found in the villagers’ blood came from the gold mine operation.

Dr Porntip said a team of experts from Rangsit University was still waiting for test results on water, soil, and plants from the affected villages.

Another blood test on the villagers will be conducted, she said, adding the team will also provide a test on another village, as requested by the locals there.