Following the recent discovery of cesium-137 contamination at a factory in Prachin Buri province this week, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has reassured local residents of their safety and instructed authorities to conduct inspections.
According to Prime Minister’s Office Minister Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the premier ordered relevant agencies to inspect industrial areas and said the government is working quickly to resolve the situation at Kabin Buri.
The statement was made after a cesium-137 radioactive isotope cylinder, which went missing last week, was recovered during an inspection of steel smelting plants in Kabin Buri district’s industrial area. Prachin Buri provincial authorities later announced the closure of the smelting factory and implemented a lockdown of the area, ordering all employees to evacuate the facility for safety reasons.
The Pollution Control Department has meanwhile concluded its investigation of radiation levels at six locations near the steel factory and reported that none of the sites were contaminated. Police are currently looking into the disappearance of the cylinder and how it was handled at the district metal factory. (NNT)
