Some points of clarification on Rosebery

Oscar (Comments on, Dr Roscoe Taylor has no evidence, HERE) has failed to answer Tod’s question about where the “estimated….64kg per year of arsenic” goes? The Commonwealth clearly understands the importance of knowing total arsenic emissions from metal ore mining throughout Australia. Likewise, all states EPA’s require metal ore miners to monitor for arsenic emissions – but not Tasmania.

Assuming that you haven’t read the Final Report on the Rosebery Investigation it may assist your understanding to know that it states “Prof Brian Priestley, Director of the Australian Centre for Human Health Risk Assessment was engaged by the Project Team to provide advice as a consultant toxicologist” and he produced a report titled “An Assessment of Health Risks Associated with Environmental Survey in XXXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXXX Streets, Rosebery”. The Final Report has NOT been put out to peer review.

The Toxic Heavy Metal Taskforce Tasmania has produced a Critique of the Final Report on the Rosebery investigation and it has been put up on TT and you are welcome to review it.

Our Taskforce is made up of many people affected and/or concerned about the public and environmental effects of toxic heavy metals (and metalloids) and we are fortunate to have considerable experience and expertise in our group. Our political agenda, if that is what you would call it, is to have the Government establish an independent population based public health and environmental survey of heavy metal contamination in Rosebery. This has been done for Lutana and the Eastern Shore but curiously the Rosebery investigation was restricted to three homes even though several more residents requested to be included in the investigation. The Lutana contamination data pales into insignificance compared to the Rosebery data.

Science is neither value free nor immune to tweaking by government spin doctors – particularly here in Tasmania. The politicisation of science is the stuff of numerous science controversies and media exposure. It can only be applauded when community members take responsibility in collaboration with independent experts to conduct their own research and release that in the public domain.

Self regulation in industry for pollution monitoring and the loss of prescriptive legislation in OH&S has been detrimental to transparency, the community and the workers. Hopefully the final outcome of the Rosebery issues will lead to much needed reform of legislation that relates to contaminants and public health.

Your comments “What I have stated is that you should seek a full medical assessment of your condition and seek the appropriate treatment” have also been made by Roscoe Taylor and Chrissie Pickin?

Since the release of the Final Report you will be aware from our publicity that you are following so keenly, that several Rosebery residents have in fact had further medical assessments and been diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning and that our matters are with lawyers.

For the seriously ill residents from Rosebery it is a tragic indictment on the Tasmanian Government that legal redress is their only option for a resolution to the broader issues of heavy metal poisoning in Rosebery as well as their own. If you have not been able to find information on arsine gas and lawns perhaps Oscar your search engine needs a service?

Graphic: Dave Groves