Outrageous, Bob Gordon

Lee Bell, National Toxics Network Press Release

The NTN report has clearly embarrassed the Pulp Mill Taskforce and has led to a gross overreaction by Mr Gordon who appears to act as some kind of public relations officer for the pulp mill proposal.

The National Toxics Network (NTN) have dismissed outrageous claims by Bob Gordon which were made on ABC morning radio in an attempt to deflect attention from the contents of a new NTN report which is highly critical of the Gunns IIS and details the expected pollution to air, land, groundwater and the marine environment.

Pulp Mill Task Force Chief, Bob Gordon attempted to smear NTN with a range of baseless accusations but had difficulty responding to technical questions posed by the journalist.

NTN spokesperson, Lee Bell said, “The NTN report actually gets to the core of the science behind the pulp mill proposal and reveals the numerous shortcomings of the IIS and questions its unsupported conclusions about pollution impacts. The NTN report is heavily referenced and draws upon international peer reviewed scientific literature and authoritative publications from the USEPA, World Health Organisation, United Nations, World Bank and Federal Environment Agencies.

The NTN report has clearly embarrassed the Pulp Mill Taskforce and has led to a gross overreaction by Mr Gordon who appears to act as some kind of public relations officer for the pulp mill proposal.”

Key findings of the NTN report were that:

• Gunns scientists have admitted that the sludge waste dump will leak at a rate of up to 10 000 litres a year with groundwater only 2-5 metres below the ground surface. International studies have revealed that all landfill liner systems fail — it is a question of when — not if.

• The pulp mill will dump over 12 000 tonnes of organochlorines (40kg a day) into a low flushing area Bass Strait over the lifetime of the mill. The contaminants are toxic, highly persistent in the environment and will have a negative impact on marine life.

• Airborne particulate pollution from the mill (100,000 kg per annum) will exacerbate pollution related health problems in George Town which already has particulate pollution in excess of National Air Quality limits.

• Monitoring and emission limits for major effluent pollutants such as resin acids and sterols have been sidestepped without any scientific justification.

• Sampling of background pollutants in Bass Strait revealed high levels of some heavy metals in water and sediment at the proposed effluent release site that will make it almost impossible for Gunns to meet the proposed Water Quality Objectives.

• Gunns admit that the background levels used in the effluent modeling are significantly less than those found by the marine survey scientists. If the real values were used in the model then the Water Quality Objectives for Absorbable Organic Halides (AOX) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) could not be met by the pulp mill.

• Gunns credibility is at stake over claims that dioxin and furan emissions will not bioaccummulate in marine life. This is completely at odds with global scientific understanding of dioxins.

Mr Bell said, “Tasmanians should read the NTN report for themselves and judge its validity. The pulp mill will cause a range of pollution impacts that can’t be ignored. Mr Gordon would be well advised to get his (or Gunns’?) own scientific house in order rather than trying to keep the facts from the public with a diversionary smear campaign against NTN.”