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Hermanolobo
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I have been informed that around the aircon in the Nana Hotel. Flakiing asbestos can be seen.
Anybody know any more ?
Health and Safety ???
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:36 am on Feb. 28, 2012
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magnum
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... asbestos materials would not typically be found 'around the air-con'... might be asbestos-based paneling next to the air-con, since Thais insulate very little... still, asbestos insulation could be about what you were hearing... but hey, Thais are capable of just damn near anything.
... and, yes, the use of asbestos in construction is widespread in Thailand, so no surprise... a couple of years ago there was a rash of articles warning of Thailand's asbestos problem, and urging a ban, but I read notbing more.
... we bought USD 100m of bankrupt and suspended buildings in BKK during the Thai Currency Crisis... capital largely from American investors, and our first venture into foreign NPLs, our American-oriented attorneys insisted that we conduct asset-level underwriting to US standards, which included hazardous materials inspections.
... I had an international firm perform that inspection, a Phase I inventory... they reported widespread asbestos-cement materials... roof tiles, non-structural panels, pipes... it was everywhere.
... our idiot attorneys, comfortably insulated in NY, were unable to get their heads around the words "3rd" and "world" and wanted to walk the deal... which meant walking Thailand and markets more foreign to them than New Jersey... the investment team on the ground here prevailed and we bought ourselves USD 100m worth of asbestos-laden buildings.
... our general counsel hated me thereafter, but seemed much happier when our local Thai counsel advised his concerns were misguided, that Thai courts value a Thai life at only about USD 6-8,000.
... an interesting notation in the report said that Thailand was a relatively new user of asbestos products, so the deaths from long-term exposure had not yet appeared, and would not register for years to come.
... asbestos construction products are cheap and durable... despite the clear danger it presents, Thai manufacturers apparently still crank this stuff out... there's a baht to be made.
... so, Hermanolobo, you may breath deeply and sleep well at Nana Hotel, secure with the knowledge that if you die from asbestosis, your survivors might possibly be awarded a whopping USD 6-8,000 for your untimely death.
... until the costs to industry for asbestos-related deaths exceed the sizeable commercial benefits, expect asbestos use to continue in Thailand... of course, that would require that a corrupt Thai judiciary would actually find against the Thai manufacturers in the first place, and that the court will someday value a life at something greater than USD 6-8,000... ummm, okay, maybe not.
... the Thai's greed is more powerful than the Thai's Buddha.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 12:39 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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mansaturday
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One learns such interesting things on this Forum!
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:59 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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Hermanolobo
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Magnum, a superb reply, thank you. I have lost a couple of friends to asbestosis.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 5:23 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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thailife
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Asbestos is the last thing you need to worry about there.....
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:21 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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vox
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Quote: from thailife on 8:21 am on Feb. 29, 2012
Asbestos is the last thing you need to worry about there.....
Oh my god, you nailed my intended reply to this post almost word-for-word, hahaha...
Seriously, folks, Thailand is NOT the place to come if you're worried about environmental contaminants (and lack of protections for humans from above)...
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:44 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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CalEden
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And asbestos is no problem as long as it remains inert.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:02 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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bingo629
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Shame it does not kill the roaches that are also in abundance in that Hotel.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:19 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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magnum
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Quote: from bingo629 on 10:19 am on Feb. 29, 2012
Shame it does not kill the roaches that are also in abundance in that Hotel.
... fear not, bingo629... you needn't fret any further about roaches... resourceful (and really smart) Thai hotel owners use a different toxic solution for that.
... 7 people (6 of whom were tourists) died in Chiang Mai last year, all within a couple of weeks of each other and all of whom were linked to the Downtown Hotel... the Royal Thai Police, of course, impressively concluded that they were all unrelated and perfectly explainable (old age, food poisoning, etc.)... obvious to professional police, right?
... well, it turns out that the Downtown Hotel owner is the family of a wealthy and powerful Chiang Mai political family, who local press refused to name... former governor or mayor, I vaguely recall... in what is obstruction of justice in any civil society, the family sanitized the crime scene, removing all evidence of their culpability... nice to be a powerful and corrupt Thai, eh?
... no cause for alarm, you see... "tourists to Thailand are safe"... "we have everything under control"... the standard, well-rehearsed Thai government deception and cover-up the world is now coming to know and expect.
... after pressure from the deceased's families and half a dozen different diplomatic missions, and independent investigations performed by foreign investigators, the always reliable Royal Thai Police finally admitted the cause was death by poisoning.
... it seems the hotel owners used a powerful toxic chemical as a pesticide, for which use the chemical is not prescribed.
... the Downtowm Hotel, as I last understood, was renamed and remains open... still happily owned by the same powerful and wealthy Thai political family... (money, money, money).
... no one was charged, since I think I recall the bodies were all cremated before toxicology reports, necessary to prove anything, could be performed... no need for that, you see, being unrelated and perfectly explainable deaths... (again, money, money, money).
... yep... Thailand!... it's just like a box of chocolates
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 10:17 pm on Feb. 28, 2012
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dirty guru
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Sheet.....the f***ers sprayed for bed bugs.
Back in 2007 in lami beach ko samuai I slept on sheets that were lsuspect.
Sick as dog...toxic poisoning and took 2 weeks to recover.
An investigation conducted by New Zealand’s 60 Minutes current affairs program titled To Die For has found high levels of the pesticide chlorpyrifos in The Downtown Inn, the Chiang Mai hotel linked to the deaths of at least seven tourists earlier this year (see: Lost smiles in LOS as Thailand travel tragedies website goes live).
60 Minutes reporter Sarah Hall traveled to Chiang Mai and stayed at The Downtown Inn in the Night Bazaar section of the city and took swab samples from the hotel back to New Zealand for analysis, with further tests conducted in Italy.
First produced in 1965 by Dow Chemical Company, chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate, is a popular ingredient in flea collars and shampoo for dogs, and is also used in the manufacture of cockroach pesticides, termite treatment, and used widely in agricultural to keep large areas pest and insect free.
Effective as a pesticide, chlorpyrifos is readily absorbed into the skin by touch, or from inhaling contaminated air. Tests in the past have found high levels of chlorpyrifos remain in the air up to 24-hours after delivery, while a 1996 study found that chlorpyrifos resulted in birth defects in humans, particularly affecting the heart, palate, brain, and nerves.
Dow Chemical’s concealed 294 reports of chlorpyrifos death
Chlorpyrifos – Outlawed in homes and gardens, the pesticide is still sprayed on food crops and is now blamed for the deaths of seven tourists in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo: Courtesy CSN Deuschland
The dangers of chlorpyrifos did not become apparent until the mid-1990s and at the time it was found Dow were in possession of 249 reports of chlorpyrifos poisoning that they had failed to forward to the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), despite being honor bound to do so.
Dow was subsequently fined $US732,000 for not submitting the reports, was ordered to remove the “safe” description from its chlorpyrifos product Dursban, and were ordered to pay an additional $2 million penalty.
In 2001, ahead of looming regulatory action by the USEPA, Dow in the US withdraw registration of chlorpyrifos for use in residences and places where children could be exposed, and also restricted its use on crops.
However, the agreement reached with the USEPA only applies to the US market and Dow still actively sells chlorpyrifos internationally, particularly in developing countries such as India, where the it is labeled safe for humans and animals – a blatant lie by the company.
Chlorpyrifos is easily ingested by the body
Dow Chemical, fined $2 million for failing to disclose 249 reports of chlorpyrifos poisoning, the same chemical now blamed for the deaths of seven tourists at the Downtown Inn, Chiang Mai. Photo: Courtesy Dow Chemical
Categorized a neurotoxin, chlorpyrifos is easily ingested by the body through touch or breathing, with ingestion causing a disruption in the transmission of nerve impulses resulting in dizziness, headaches, loose motions, increased urination and salivation. When the ingestion is excessive, it could lead to paralysis, convulsions and even death.
While quickly absorbed by the body, chlorpyrifos only has a half-life of one day, explaining why forensic doctors in Thailand, along with other international agencies, have not have been able to detect it in tissue samples and postmortem examinations conducted on the seven dead tourists.
It would also lay to rest accusations of a cover up made by the family of New Zealand tourist Sarah Carter, who died after staying at The Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai, on a website they set up titled Thailand Travel Tragedies and at least one Bangkok-based freelance journalist who has been particularly vitriolic in condemning the handling of the deaths by Thai authorities, along with no shortage of wild conspiracy theories dreamed up by some sections of the Thailand expatriate community.
Though Dow remains the largest manufacturer of chlorpyrifos today, other manufacturers include Dow Agro Sciences LLC, a division of Dow Chemicals which also trades as Dow Elanco, Danish company Cheminova, Spanish company Makteshim-Agan, Garda in India and US company Platte Chemical Company Chemical.
In an interview published in The Dominion, United Nations scientist, Ron McDowall, said there was a strong likelihood Wellington woman Sarah Carter and at least six other people had died died from excessive exposure to chlorpyrifos, which causes identical symptoms to those suffered by guests staying at, or visiting, The Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai tourists “killed by an overzealous bed bug sprayer”
Thailand police have raided the company responsible for pest extermination at The Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai where seven tourists died earlier this year. File Photo: John Le Fevre
According to Dr. McDowall, the fact that traces of chlorpyrifos were found three months after Carter’s death and after the room was cleaned suggested there was a high concentration when she was staying there.
“I think she has been killed by an overzealous sprayer who’s been acting on the instructions of the hotel owner to deal with bed bugs,” McDowall said.
Dr. McDowall said he had consulted with other experts in New Zealand and Italy and all agreed the likely cause of death of the seven was from excessive exposure to pest control chemicals.
Thailand police confirmed they are looking into the possibility the tourists were killed by over exposure to pest control chemicals and had already raided the pest control company used by the hotel.
Richard Carter, father of dead tourist Sarah Carter, said it was “good to get an answer” about how his daughter died, though added that “it’s pretty horrific that they have such low standards that this can happen”.
If chlorpyrifos can be proved to be linked to the deaths of the seven tourists in Chiang Mai the result will be a serious blow to the city’s tourism industry, as well as to the general tourism sector in Thailand until authorities announce what steps they will take to prevent lethal chemicals such as this being used in tourist accommodation areas, how it will be policed, and whether any criminal charges are laid.
Chlorpyrifos may also explain the deaths of American tourist Jill St Onge and Norwegian holiday-maker Julie Michelle Bergheim at The Laleena Guesthouse on Koh Phi Ph on May 6, 2009, with postmortem examinations, including one in Norway, failing to determine the cause of death of Ms. Bergheim.
It was not possible to obtain comments from Chiang Mai government officials or management of The Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai due to today being Sunday. A response from Dow Chemical has been sought, but not been received up to the time of publication.
Ends:
© John Le Fevre, 2011
See: USEPA chlorpyrifos Fact Sheet
See: 60 Minutes New Zealand episode: To Die For
Related: Thailand authorities dismiss chlorpyrifos as cause of Chiang Mai hotel tourist deaths
Related: Chiang Mai tourist death hotel mystery remains – governor slams foreign media report
Related: Lost smiles in LOS as Thailand travel tragedies website goes live
The Downtown Inn, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo: Supplied
Not a tawdry backpacker hotel. The Downtown Inn, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo: Supplied
Dow Chemical, fined $2 million for failing to disclose 249 reports of chlorpyrifos poisoning, the same chemical now blamed for the deaths of seven tourists at the Downtown Inn, Chiang Mai. Photo: Courtesy Dow Chemical
Chlorpyrifos Insecticide produced by S.D. Agro Chemicals of India.
Chlorpyrifos – Outlawed in homes and gardens, the pesticide is still sprayed on food crops and is now blamed for the deaths of seven tourists in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo: Courtesy CSN Deuschland
Chiang Mai Provincial governor; Mom Luang Panadda Diskul – deaths “a coincidence”. Photo: Photobucket user dangroj
Thailand police have raided the company responsible for pest extermination at The Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai where seven tourists died earlier this year. File Photo: John Le Fevre
The landing page of Thailand Travel Tragedies
Tourist deaths in Chiang Mai • Tourist deaths in Thailand • Tourist deaths in Chiang Mai • Tourist deaths in Thailand • chlorpyrifos • police investigation • Dow Chemical CompanyDowntown Inn Chiang Mai • Thailand Travel Tragedies • Dow Chemical Company • Soraya Pandola • Bill Mah • Sarah Carter • Waraporn Pungmahisiranon • George Everitt • Eileen Everitt • neurotoxin • Cheminova • Makteshim-Agan • Garda • USEPA
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Read more: What killed tourists in Chiang Mai http://photo-journ.com/2011/dow-chemicals-chlorpyrifos-pesticide-found-in-chiang-mai-tourist-death-hotel#ixzz1nkjJzVK8
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:05 am on Feb. 29, 2012
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