Call for ‘targeted risk assessment’ of agri-chemicals site

An expert in occupational and environmental medicine familiar with a controversial agrichemicals plant in New Plymouth says a targeted risk assessment of the production facility is a good idea.

Corteva Agrisciences – previously the agricultural arm of Dowdupoint – recently closed the 16-hectare site which borders Paritutu Centennial Reserve and residential housing.

From the 1960s through to 1987, Ivon Watkins (later Ivon Watkins-dow) made the herbicide 2,4,5T at Paritutu – which contained the toxic dioxin TCDD.

In the mid ’80s elevated levels of TCDD were found in the soil on the site’s boundaries with reserve land and a residential street.

New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom, with the support of Taranaki iwi, has written to Environment Minister David Parker asking that the government put pressure on Corteva to investigate the site for potential contamination before it sells or leaves.

Associate Professor Dave Mcbride of Otago University has studied dioxin levels in the blood of Dow workers at Paritutu and contamination at the former the Fruitgrowers’ Chemical Company in Mapua.

Mcbride said a targeted risk assessment of the Paritutu site made sense.

‘‘There was an incinerator on site and one of the buildings contained the TCP reactor, where the risk of dioxins was higher at certain points and there was an accident where a disc burst and there was a release of dioxins.

‘‘It wasn’t a huge release and it didn’t extend to contaminating the environment, but certainly people involved in fixing or inspecting the damage did have higher levels of dioxin.’’

Mcbride said there were also stories about chemical dumping at the site.

‘‘The only other thing would be there were reports – I don’t know whether they are true or not – of drums being buried at other areas and that along with the incinerator may have resulted in some local contamination.’’

He said decontaminating all of the 16ha coastal site would not be straightforward.

‘‘If you go to decontaminate an entire area it’s a huge process and certainly what they are suggesting of taking all the soil offsite to somewhere in Europe ... seems a huge undertaking when that land would be better used for industry as it’s zoned industrial at present. That would seem to make common sense.

‘‘It would be hugely expensive and you’ve got to look at the costbenefit argument.

‘‘You could argue that Corteva pay for it to be completely remediated, but it has been an industrial site and that’s what happens when you have an industrial site in an area, there will be some contamination.

‘‘But are the levels of contamination going to be harmful if it’s going to be used as an industrial site? Probably not.’’

Mcbride, who has previously raised concerns about the land being rezoned residential, said disturbing the soil was not ideal.

‘‘Well, it does present more problems. If it was going to be used for industrial use – in other words people weren’t going to grow vegetables in it or use it recreationally – there shouldn’t be any problem at all.’’

He could see some merit in combining the Paritutu site with the nearby reserve.