Chemical linked to Thai illnesses

Chemical linked to Thai illnesses

BANGKOK (AP): Aviation officials believe a chemical substance found buried beneath a provincial Thai airport that has caused hundreds of people to feel ill may be a solvent used to remove paint, local papers reported on Sunday.

The reports countered initial suspicion the chemical was a defoliant used by the U.S. military.

Thwaweesak Assaneewuthikorn, the director of the Hua Hin airport, said scientists at the Pollution Control Department who examined samples of the chemical believe it is probably a type of paint remover, The Nation reported.

More than 150 construction workers became ill earlier this week from fumes emitted by the chemicals buried beneath a runway they were extending at an airport in Hua Hin, a seaside resort south of Bangkok.