Fumigation firm issued warnings

Warnings have been issued to a fumigation company over its methyl bromide operations after an incident in which four workers at the Port of Tauranga ended up in hospital.

Stuff has obtained a report by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council into the March 8 incident involving four stevedores who had been working about 100 metres away from where Genera staff were fumigating log stacks with methyl bromide.

Methyl bromide is a toxic gas which is damaging to the ozone layer and can be lethal to humans in high doses.

It has to be phased out under an international treaty, but New Zealand is using more than ever as timber exports boom. Genera does most of the country’s timber fumigations.

The council report says four workers from stevedore company ISO went to hospital with symptoms, including abdominal pain, wheezing, nausea, vomiting, lethargy and headaches.

While it was possible the health effects were caused by methyl bromide exposure, there was insufficient evidence to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt, the report found. However, the investigation highlighted a number of compliance issues and as a result Genera had been served with four abatement notices.

The council commissioned a report from a consultant toxicologist, Professor Ian Shaw, who was able to examine the medical records of two of the four workers. He found that while the evidence was not conclusive, there was circumstantial evidence one of the men suffered toxicity resulting from acute exposure to methyl bromide and it was possible the other worker had as well.

Matt Hill, Genera’s chief operating officer, said the company had always thought that methyl bromide was not the cause of the workers’ symptoms and investigations by the council and Worksafe had not found otherwise.

Genera was surprised by the abatement notices and was taking advice on a possible appeal as they could have significant impact on operations at the port.

Meanwhile, Work Safe has issued ISO with an improvement notice as a result of the incident, after finding it had no adequate emergency response system to manage workers when there was a suspected exposure to contaminants.

ISO had indicated it would develop such a system said Darren Handforth, Worksafe’s chief inspector.