Nanthawan Vichitvadakarn, dean of Thammasat University's Faculty of Public Health Science, said the laboratory tests would help to study the link between pollutants and cancer in communities near the Map Ta Phut industrial complex.

The industrial complex - made of the Map Ta Phut, Asia, Pa Daeng and Eastern industrial estates - houses almost 100 factories, mostly for heavy industry.

Air monitoring by the Pollution Control Department (PCD) last year showed Map Ta Phut's atmosphere was contaminated with 40 volatile organic compounds, half of which were carcinogenic.

The National Cancer Institute has also found that confirmed leukaemia cases in Map Ta Phut, located in Muang Rayong district, were two to three times higher than the national incidence.

Prinya Nutalai, head of the committee set up by the National Environmental Board to study the correlation between pollution emitted in Map Ta Phut and human diseases, said he wanted the study to be expanded beyond Muang Rayong district.

The other districts are Ban Khai, Ban Chang, Pluak Daeng and Nikhom Pattana.

But the research effort would still give priority to Muang Rayong residents as the group at highest risk of exposure to carcinogens.

The committee would also collaborate with the National Cancer Institute to survey people suffering from respiratory problems.

Supat Wanywongwattana, director-general of the PCD, said the department would again analyse air-borne toxic chemicals.

Prinya said the NEB gave him one year to tackle the Map Ta Phut health problem by exploring diseases related to the emissions from industrial plants. "If the studies show that the sicknesses of people are associated with pollutants, I'm certain plenty of legal cases will flood the court," he said.

Janjira Pongrai

The Nation