Did an ammonia leak at an ice factory in Chonburi, Thailand, pose a life threat for the people in the area? No, that's not true: Officials have said it was not dangerous. The Thai Department of Disease Control confirmed the odor detection level of leaked ammonia was under the level that would pose health risks.
The claim appeared in a video on TikTok posted on April 18, 2024 (archived here). It had the following caption (translated from Thai to English by Lead Stories staff):
Warning!! The ammonia leak is life-threatening. Check your area immediately.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Apr 30 11:30:49 2024 UTC)
In the video, the narrator asked viewers to share the video as quickly as possible. She said there was an explosion at an ice factory on April 17, 2024, referring to the incident in Bang Lamung, Chonburi, Thailand. The incident was widely reported by Thai media, including ThaiRath, ThaiPBS, and Bangkok Post (archived here, here, and here). The person in the video said there was an explosion and an ammonia leak, floating in the air within one kilometer from the factory.
The leak was confirmed at the Raja Group Co. factory, according to the company's post on Facebook (archived here) to share condolences to individuals affected, and a Facebook post (archived here) from Chonburi Police posted shortly after the incident saying the leak was under control.
But factory executive Bunanan Pattanasin told local media after he inspected the factory, following the leak, that there wasn't evidence of any explosion or fire, according to Bangkok Biz News (archived here). In the same report, Police Major Gen. Thawatchakiat Jindakuansong, Chonburi Provincial Police commander, corroborated that there wasn't evidence of an explosion. The two Facebook posts also didn't use the word "explosion." Lead Stories reached out to the factory and Chonburi Police seeking comments via email on May 2, 2024, and will update this article if a response is received.
According to Canada's Center for Occupational Health and Safety, ammonia is a compressed, flammable gas that may explode if heated. High concentrations can be a fire and explosion hazard, especially in confined spaces.
The TikTok video goes on to describe the health effects of ammonia including damaging the respiratory system, dermatitis, blindness, feeling nauseated, and the development of lung diseases -- which ultimately can lead to death.
The Thai Department of Disease Control under the Ministry of Health released a statement on Facebook (archived here) that the department had conducted the odor detection test at 10 locations around the area and found that it ranged from 1.9 to 7.7 ppm (parts per million). Officials said the level that could start posing health risks to people is 25 ppm.
Additionally, Vicharn Minchainant, an advisor to the Health Minister, said in the same statement that residents who were still worried could go to one of the test locations in the area for guidance on what to do. Dr. Apichat Wachiraphan, DDC deputy director-general, said the department would continue to conduct the odor test in the coming days but expect the levels to decrease even more.
