POLLUTION GOVERNANCE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

Today, individuals and groups from across the State met in Launceston under the banner of Pollution Information Tasmania (PIT). Yesterday, PIT also launched the Tasmanian Ecotoxicology Research Fund, including the funds first educational brochure about pesticide contamination of our water catchments.

In the lead up to the next election, PIT will be lobbying all political parties about a number of deficiencies in pollution governance, particularly concerns with the newly established Environmental Protection Authority and the Environmental Health Service.

Poppy Lopatniuk, veteran campaigner on the contaminated landfill site (old Howrah tip) at Wentworth Park, is absolutely exasperated with the government’s and EPA’s ongoing refusal to investigate serious health issues in the Wentworth Park area as it is now a residential suburb.

“My family, friends and neighbors have suffered greatly from cancer and other illnesses from chemical and heavy metal contamination in Wentworth Park. I’m making a personal plea for the government to stop ignoring this heartbreaking situation and finally conduct an independent and comprehensive population based public and environmental health investigation,” said long-term resident Poppy Lopatniuk

Marsha Stejskal from Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania has also stated that “that we want the findings of the investigation into heavy metal contamination in Rosebery to be quashed and a new independent population based public and environmental health investigation to be conducted as a matter urgency.”

Alison Bleaney, General Practitioner and Toxicology Researcher is also pushing for the government to ensure the protection of water catchments from pesticide contamination. Government policies must include chemical policy reforms as they are critical to preventative health strategies.

“I’m calling upon the government to ensure the safety of drinking water and the health of our children by protecting our water catchments, preventing water pollution and banning pesticides that adversely affect human health as they are proposing to do in the European Union,” said Alison Bleaney

Angelika Allen, from Quality Air Tasmania, who has compiled a Smokewatch Diary 2009, that demonstrates continual exceedences of national air quality standards from forestry post-logging / parks burns, particularly in the north.

“Air quality in Tasmania has diminished dramatically in the last few years and standards are critically non-compliant with worlds Best Practice Environmental Management in air quality. There is an emergence of community health impacts being reported online,” said Angelika Allen from Quality Air Tasmania.

“If Tasmania is to maintain its clean-green image and ultimately a healthy and toxic-free environment, governments need to take these pollution issues more seriously,” “Pollution Information Tasmania, as a collective, will be campaigning for urgent action at the upcoming election,” said Simon Branigan, Policy Coordinator for Environment Tasmania.

PIT is a community based network of groups and individuals working and campaigning on pollution issues and public health and environmental risks in Tasmania. PIT has started uploading historical and current research regarding Tasmanian pollution issues on the SourceWatch website.
Dr Alison Bleaney, Simon Branigan