ABSTRACT
A study of indoor was carried out on 615 different building in Rayong Province, Thailand, using an activated charcoal canister for sample collection and a gamma spectrometer for analysis of the samples. The survey revealed the presence of radon gas inside all the buildings investigated, varying in concentrations from 4.00 to 74.15 becquerels/cubic metre (13.23+8.97 Bq.M-3). Although the levels of radon encountered were well below the safety threshold of 148 Bq.M-3 established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there were statistically significant difference between some districts. With regard to the type, age and ventilation status of the buildings, and the occupant’s practice of smoking indoor, the findings of this investigation do not warrant a conclusion that would support the notion of these factors contributing to, or being mutually associated with, indoor gaseous concentrations of radon.
ABSTRACT
A study of indoor radon was carried out on 1,024 different buildings in Samutprakarn province, Thailand, using an activated charcoal canister for sample collection and a gamma spectrometer for analysis of the samples. The survey revealed the presence of radon gas inside all the buildings investigated, varying in concentration from 4.00 to 47.51 Bequerels/cubic metre (7.47+4.69 Bq.m-3). Although the levels of radon encountered were well below the safety threshold of 148 Bq.m-3 established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there were statistically significant differences between some districts. With regard to the type, age and ventilation status of the buildings, and the occupants’ practice of smoking indoors, the findings of this investigation do not warrant a conclusion that would support the notion of these factors contributing to, or being mutually associated with, indoor gaseous concentrations of radon.
ABSTRACT
During the months of December 1997 and January 1998, a study of indoor radon was carried out on 786 different buildings in 13 districts of Lampang Province in northern Thailand, using the charcoal canister method. The survey revealed the presence of radon gas inside all buildings investigated, varying in concentration from 4.00 to 176.73 becquerels/cubic metre (32.41+21.14 Bq.m-3); an elevated concentration over 150 Bq.m-3 was encountered in only one house in Muangpan district. Although the other measurements did not reveal indoor radon levels exceeding the safety threshold, the prevalence of high levels within normal range was detected among the building in the adjoining four districts (Amphur Muangpan, Amphur Hangchat, Amphur Jaehom and Amphur Koa-ka). With regard to the type, age and ventilation status of the buildings, and the practice of smoking indoors, the findings of this investigation do not conclusively support the notion of their contributing to, or being mutually associated with, indoor gaseous concentrations of radon.
ABSTRACT
Because the development of character is more easily attained in a child than an adult, a pilot project was launched in Thailand during 1997 with the aim of inculcating traffic discipline in a group of secondary school students. The strategy was to have them witness real traffic in the streets, and the consequences of such actions, anticipating that they would vicariously learn a lesson that would be implanted permanently in their conscience, in the hope that this would help to make them more disciplined citizens when they become adult drivers. From 9 a.m. to noon daily during the period September 26 to October 28, 1997, a cohort of about 10 randomised secondary school students out of a total of 332 students aged 12 to 18 years (median age 14 years) was taken in an air-conditioned van through the streets of Muang district of Nonthaburi Province to observe traffic laws being broken and the legal action taken by an assigned team of traffic police. One or two motor-cycle policemen would take the appropriate action against the violators. Another officer who accompanied the students in the van would describe the action taking place outside, quoting the relevant regulations and penalties (fines, etc.). The students were then required to complete the information sheets they had been provided earlier. After the daily trips, each group of students prepared a summary of their observations. Both the group summary and the information sheets from individual students were to be submitted to the project organizer on the next day. Composite data in those information sheets and the summary notes acquired from 332 students were analysed and put into categeries. Correlations were then assessed in term of the variety of vehicles stopped, the age and sex of the drivers, and the type of offense and the legal action imposed. The enthusiasm of the students was judged from the written expressions in their summary notes as well as from observatory remarks by the project organiser who accompanied them on the daily trips. The results of the project are discussed with regard to the prevalence of traffic law violations, and the discretion of police in enforcing the law and levying of fines. It is not possible to draw firm conclusions from the present data; however, follow up of these particular cohorts of students in the future may provide pertinent evidence on the degree to which the students have become more disciplined as drivers. The authors observed that, despite the relatively limited action of the police involved in this project, fines of approximately 400,000 baht were levied on the traffic violators during the 32-day period in only one district of suburban Bangkok. Thus, it has been estimated that several millions of baht monthly could be made available to the government if the authorities were to energetically enforced traffic rules and additional police to tackle the problem of ubiquitous traffic violations in Bangkok and nationwide. Further, such an approach might assist in solving the problem of unemployment caused by the country’s current economic crisis.
ABSTRACT
A study of indoor radon was carried out on 1,052 different buildings in Songkla Province, Thai-land, using an activated charcoal canister for sample collection and a gamma spectrometer for analysis of the samples. The survey revealed the presence of radon gas inside all the buildings investigated, varying in concen-tration from 2.14 to 86.10 Bequerels/cubic metre (16.15 + 11.97 Bq.m-3). Although the levels of radon encoun-tered were well below the safety threshold of 148 Bq.m-3 established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a trend was detected suggesting that high levels within the normal range are prevalent in certain areas of the province. The phenomenon will be investigated in the next setting. With regard to the type, age and ventilation status of the buildings, and the practice of smoking indoors, the findings of this investigation do not conclusively support the notion of their contributing to, or being mutually associated with, indoor gaseous concentrations of radon.
ABSTRACT
Measurement of radon was carried out on seven different floors of a 32-storey glass-faced building. It revealed the presence of relatively comparable amounts of radon on every one of the floors investigated; however, the concentrations (4.00-14.53 Bq/m3) did not exceed the safety threshold. Based on the result of a previous investigation showing significant concentrations of radon in concrete buildings, it is imputed from the finding of the present study that the type of glass used as a building material in this case was unlikely to be an additional source of radon.
ABSTRACT
A study of indoor radon was carried out on 188 different building in 3 districts (Amphurs Kangkoi, phrabudhabat and Baanmoh) of Saraburi Province in Central Thailand, using an activated charcoal canister for gaseous collection and a gamma spectrometer for analysis of the samples. The survey revealed the presence of radon gas inside al the buildings investigated, ranging in concentrations from 4.00 to 33.66 Bequerels/cubic metre. The safety threshold for indoor radon, according to the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, is 4 pCi/l (equivalent to 148 Bq.m-3).
ABSTRACT
A study of indoor radon was carried out on 319 different buildings in five districts (Amphurs Muang, Phuwiang, Khou-suankwan, ubolrat and Nampong) of Khonkaen Province in northeastern Thailand, using an activated charcoal canister for gaseous collection and a gamma spectrometer for analysis of the samples. The survey revealed the presence of radon gas inside all the buildings investigated, with overall concentrations being 15.33 + 22.13 bequerels/cubic metre and the prevalence rate of elevated values being 0.94 percent. The prevalence f higher indoor radon concentrations in Amphur Phuwiang (32.18+ 44.05) Bq.m-3) differs statistically from the concentrations encountered in the four other districts. In considering the age of the buildings and the type of building materials, the differences in indoor radon concentrations were not statistically significant. Indoor cigarette smoking and the inappropriate ventilation of the buildings appeared to relate to the higher radon concentrations.
ABSTRACT
Analysis of 188 patients with pathological diagnosis of tuberculosis or findings consistent with tuberculosis of the cervical lymph nodes during the period 1985-1988 disclosed the following pertinent findings: (1) The histo-pathological diagnoses, based on findings of chronic granuloma with or without the presence of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on staining, were “probable tuberculosis” in 38.8 percent of the cases, and “consistent with tuberculosis” in 61.2 percent of them. It is worthy of note that proof for AFB in the 1973 report (from the same laboratory) was available only in 1.58 percent of the cases.1 (2) The supraclavicular group was the frequently diseased of the lymph nodes as found in a previous study;1 this finding also conforms to the high incidence of palpable supraclavicular lymph nodes in pulmonary tuberculosis patients.5 This persistent prevalence of the site of tuberculous involvement may be used as evidence in support of early post-primary haematogenous dissemination of the pathogenic organism, rather than the less occurring lymphogenous spread from the site of upper digestive tract infection, as recently suggested.4
ABSTRACT
This communication described our experiences on pneumonia’s in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exclusive of bronchial asthma (based on cases admitted during the past three years at the Siriraj Hospital), compared to pneumonia’s in previously healthy persons. There were conspicuous discrepancies between the two groups of patients in respects to their clinical manifestations (symptoms, physical signs, chest radiographic features, complete blood counts and arterial blood gas analysis), microbiological profiles, medical treatment and outcome.