Ms. Preeyaporn Suwanaged, Director General of the Pollution Control Department (PCD), revealed that following the Notification of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment regarding standards to control odor emissions from rubber manufacturing plants, which took effect on April 16, 2020, PCD has received information from several rubber operators who want to measure the odor level of their factories, but sending tests to private laboratories was expensive. As a result, factories are unable to monitor their odor level frequently. PCD discussed this issue with the Rubber Authority of Thailand, a state enterprise responsible for managing the country’s rubber production, and concluded that the Rubber Authority of Thailand should set up its odor testing laboratory to provide services for rubber manufacturers.

Ms. Preeyaporn said that the Rubber Authority of Thailand is currently exploring ways to establish
a sensory testing laboratory for odor analysis. PCD has trained staff from the Rubber Authority of Thailand on sampling and measuring odor levels. This new sensory testing laboratory will offer odor-intensity testing services for rubber manufacturers and the Standard Thai Rubber Farmers’ Institute.

According to three years of statistical data, there have been approximately 600 odor complaints annually, with 40% originating from industrial plants. The most frequently complained types of industries include rubber manufacturing plants at 10%, followed by plastic product manufacturers at 8% and animal feed manufacturers at 5%. PCD is dedicated to providing training, academic and technical knowledge, and consultation to all operators to prevent and resolve pollution problems affecting the community,
Ms. Preeyaporn said.