Weegena community sprayed

Kim Booth
The Tasmanian Greens today revealed that the Weegena community was contaminated last Tuesday afternoon by a helicopter applying the insecticide Dominex Duo to Gunns’ plantations adjacent to the Mersey River in northern Tasmania, and that a number of visitors and Weegena residents (who were not notified of the intention to spray) are now exhibiting classic symptoms of poisoning. Acting Greens leader Kim Booth MP said the insecticide Dominex Duo contains endocrine-disruptors, known cancer-causing agents and neurotoxins which affect the human nervous system, and called on Premier David Bartlett to take control of the situation and ban all aerial spraying operations that cannot guarantee that their chemicals will remain on their own property.,

CALL FOR BARTLETT TO BAN INSECTICIDE CONTAMINATION
As Gunns’ Spray Sows Fear Throughout Rural Tasmania
Kim Booth MP
Acting Greens Leader
Thursday, 22 January 2009

www.tas.greens.org.au

The Tasmanian Greens today revealed that the Weegena community was contaminated last Tuesday afternoon by a helicopter applying the insecticide Dominex Duo to Gunns’ plantations adjacent to the Mersey River in northern Tasmania, and that a number of visitors and Weegena residents (who were not notified of the intention to spray) are now exhibiting classic symptoms of poisoning.

Acting Greens leader Kim Booth MP said the insecticide Dominex Duo contains endocrine-disruptors, known cancer-causing agents and neurotoxins which affect the human nervous system, and called on Premier David Bartlett to take control of the situation and ban all aerial spraying operations that cannot guarantee that their chemicals will remain on their own property.

“At about 4:30pm on Tuesday the 20th of January a helicopter spraying Dominex Duo, in combination with the sticking agent Bond, contaminating residents and visitors to the Weegena community as well as the Mersey River itself,” said Mr Booth.

“Both Health Minister Giddings and Primary Industries Minister Llewellyn have failed in their duty of care and it is now time that Premier David Bartlett took responsibility for his government’s failure to prevent Gunns’ operations from contaminating Tasmanian people and their waterways.”

“Premier David Bartlett needs to step in, ban aerial spraying, and instigate an inquiry into this latest contamination of Weegena and the Mersey River.”

“There must be an inquiry into this contamination incident, as well as an explanation of the obvious breach of label requirements for Dominex Duo, which state ‘DO NOT contaminate streams, rivers, or waterways…,’ and ‘DO NOT apply or allow spray drift onto adjacent non-target aquatic areas’. [1]

“If an individual wandered about spraying poisonous chemicals into the air that our children breathe and the water they drink then that person would be rightfully labelled as a terrorist. Why then does the Bartlett Labor Government protect Gunns rather than protecting our children?”

“From Huonville to Ringarooma through to Mole Creek and Smithton, my office has been inundated by calls from Tasmanians who have been affected or terrified by Gunns’ spraying of dangerous insecticides and they are begging for someone in Government to protect them from these poisons.”

“The Greens’ Chemical Trespass legislation has been voted down repeatedly by successive Labor Governments – had they actually listened to our justifiable fears at the time then this sort of contamination incident would not be happening,” said Mr Booth.

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Reference: [1] Dominex Duo Insecticide, Group 3A Insecticide, Label Instructions for “Protection of Wildlife, Fish, Crustaceans, and Environment”