Monday 7 January 2002, Disturbing circumstantial evidence suggested a heat-damaged batch of toxic chemicals was used in a government weed control program blamed for deaths, the West Australian agriculture minister confirmed today. But Kim Chance said a ministerial inquiry into serious health problems suffered by some Agriculture Protection Board (APB) weed control workers might not probe the source of the unknown chemicals linked to deaths and illnesses.
The inquiry is looking at the health impacts on the 70 to 80 workers still alive after working on a weed control program in the remote Kimberley region from 1975 to1985 which is blamed for deaths and birth defects. Workers have described using anunlabelled, black, sticky chemical which experts fear may have been fire damaged and therefore more toxic batch of 245T, used to make the defoliant Agent Orange.
Mr Chance said today there was disturbing evidence to suggest the APB workers could have used a heat-damaged batch of 245T which is rumoured to have been dumped in Australia after the Vietnam War. "There has also been speculation that there was some made in WA," Mr Chance told 6PR radio. "So there are two potential sources, and they have yet to be linked to the chemicals used by the APB workers.
"What we have here, however, is disturbing circumstantial evidence that it might have been." Mr Chance said the inquiry was only investigating allegations the workers suffered serious health problems some time after using unlabelled chemicals. "The allegations relate to some extremely serious health problems both for the workers at the time later in life and of children who were born after the workers had exposure to the chemicals."
"It is an unfortunate issue that (the inquiry) has taken so long to occur. "But it is providing for the first time an opportunity for people who worked on that program to speak to the medical professional in confidence about what did occur at that time," he said. Yesterday Premier Geoff Gallop promised a full inquiry into the source of the chemicals. But Mr Chance said the government had yet to decide whether the existing probe would be broadened. He said he believed this investigation should be handled by the Department of Environmental Protection.
AAP |
