FACT SHEET - Environmental Health : Vol. 1 No. 1 October 1997 Heavy metals in Pattani River Basin Dr. Pornpimol Varathorn Bureau of Environmental Health, Department of Health Ministry of Public Health, Tel : 5904348

Pattani River Lead concentrations at PT03, were found to exceed the standards during 1986-1992 and 1996-1997. This establishes evidence that high lead concentrations in Pattani River at Bannang Sata The Pattani River Basin covers an area including District still exist. Yala and Pattani provinces, with the Pattani River as the main tributary with a length of 210 kilometers. The river flows from the southern part of the - boundary, passes and flows into the Gulf of Thailand at Pattani Bay. Landuse along the river consists of forestry, agricultural, community, industrial and mining activities. One known principal source of lead in the Pattani River is a group of abandoned tin mines in the watershed areas of Yala s Bannang Sata District. The falling market value of tin over the past decade caused operators to abandon the mines, but toxic metals continue to wash off dumped mine tailings into tributary streams during the rainy season. Other sources of lead are Heavy metal pollution of water has a number of man-made causes including industries along Pattani the processing of ores and metals, the industrial use of metal compounds Bay, especially shipyards and, particularly, leaching from domestic and industrial waste dumps and which use lead-based plumboplumbic oxide in mine tailings. Main rivers in the eastern part of Thailand found high levels of ship building and repair heavy metals contaminated from industrial waste. The heavy metal pollution work. caused by mining occurred in Southern Thailand in Ron-Pibool, Nakorn Sri Tammaraj Province, when arsenic leached from tin mine tailings caused the Pattani River was found skin manifestation of chronic arsenic poisoning. Toxicity of heavy metals is to contain high lead particularly difficult to measure because effects causing damage to human concentrations in 1986. Follow up studies health may not show up for years through long-term exposure. investigated the high lead concentrations in the Lead Concentrations in Pattani River environment, such as in water sediment and marine flora, and the The results showed that the monitoring stations at PT01 PT02 and PT04 resulting health effects in found high lead concentrations exceeding permissible values of river and children. The study by drinking water quality standards of 0.05 mg/l during 1986-1992, but were Prince of Songkla within the standards after that time. Lead concentrations at PT03, Bannang University in 1993, Sata District were found to exceed the standards during 1986-1992 and showed high 1996-1997. This establishes evidence that high lead concentrations in concentrations of lead over 3,333 mg in each Pattani River at Bannang Sata District still exist. (Figure 2) gram of sediment taken from a tributary stream running through a mine dump in Ban Thamthalu, Bannang Sata District. The lead level decreased to only 32 mg per gram in sediment downstream, but rose again at a sampling station close to the Pattani Bay. Moreover, in 1994 it was found that a species of seaweed in Pattani Bay used in the local diet, Gracilaria fishery, contained very high lead levels.

The Department of Health reported the concentration of heavy metals in Pattani River collected from 4 monitoring stations during 1986-1997 as shown in Figure 1. The site of monitoring stations are as follows: PT01 : Muang District, Pattani Province PT02 : Muang District, Yala Province PT03 : Bannang Sata District, Yala Province PT04 : Banglang Dam, Yala Province

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Other Heavy Metals in Pattani River

Other heavy metals such as iron, manganese, copper, zinc, total chromium and cadmium in Pattani River were found to be within the river quality standard and drinking water quality standard in all of the monitoring stations. The lead level of piped water in Muang District, Yala and Pattani Province, as monitored from 1994-1997, did not exceed the permissible value of WHO drinking water quality standard and was considered safe for consumption purposes.

Health Effects

Recent studies have associated lead exposure with adverse health effects on diverse systems, including the neurological, somatic growth, psychological, hematological, metabolic and cardiovascular systems. New information suggests that prenatal lead exposure may be related to minor congenital defects, growth retardation, and neuro- behavioural abnormalities. Neuro- psychological effects have been encountered at blood lead levels of around 10 mg/dl. The safety levels for blood lead were established by the Ministry of Public Health at 25 mg/dl for children and 40 mg/dl for adults.

Children are the critical population group for exposure to lead. The data from a 1995 study by Prince of Songkla University on blood lead levels carried out in Ban Thamthalu and Ban Tengkadeng schools in Bannang Sata District (close to a mine dump) and Ban Thachi school in (locate further down river), showed that the blood lead levels of preschool children (6-12 years) were 16.5 and 12.9 mg/dl in Bannang Sata District, and 8.44 mg/dl in Yaha District. The number of children with blood lead levels exceeding 10 mg/dl was found to be very high at 96% and 73% in Bannang Sata, but was only 23 % in Yaha District. The results of a series of blood tests of children in Yala Province supported studies reporting high concentrations of lead in water, sediment and marine flora.

Proposed actions

Measures have been proposed by various governmental agencies in attempt to control health effects and reduce the contamination. Procedures include providing adequate and safe public water supply coverage in areas of high lead contamination. The Provincial Health Office regularly monitors the drinking water quality and river quality in risk areas contaminated by heavy metals. The following actions are proposed: . Develop sensitive, accurate and simple indicators to detect the adverse health effects of heavy metals at an early stage. . Increase awareness of the severity of heavy metal contamina-tion and its harmful effects on children. . Increase the role of the people living along the river banks to assist with the river rehabilitation.

R E F E R E N C E

1. Bureau of Environmental Health. Heavy Metals in Pattani and Pak Pannang Rivers, 1997. 2. Regional Environmental Health Office 12. Heavy Metals Contamination in Pattani River (1995), 1997. 3. Prince of Songkha University. Lead and Heavy Metals Problem in Pattani Basin, 1996 4. WHO. Human Exposure to Lead: Report of the Human Exposure Assessment Location (HEAL) Programme, Bangkok, 16-19 Nov. 1992.