[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Rosebery Toxins Taskforce Needed Urgently_C O'Connor MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

ROSEBERY DEDICATED TASKFORCE CALL BY GREENS

'Skill-Tank' Urgently Needed to Get Answers

Cassy O'Connor MP
Greens Shadow Health spokesperson

Sunday, 16 November 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today called for a dedicated Rosebery Heavy Metals
Multi-Disciplinary Taskforce to be established urgently to assist in
identifying the source of toxins being found in residents' blood, after
another member of the community has come forward with blood test results
exceeding the acceptable outside limit for cadmium.

Greens Shadow Health spokesperson Cassy O'Connor MP said that the
purpose of such a taskforce would be to prioritise the identification of
the source of the heavy metal contaminants, establish how they are
getting into the blood of local residents, and ensure that all
appropriate remedial work is undertaken as swiftly and as
comprehensively as possible.

Ms O'Connor emphasised that the Greens' call for a taskforce is not a
criticism of work done so far by health authorities and is instead about
bringing together all relevant health, environmental, social and mineral
experts to focus upon finding out what is going on in Rosebery and how
to best address the situation.

"I appreciate that the Health Department has been working hard in
conducting tests ranging from soil to blood, and the Greens' call for a
dedicated taskforce is in no way a criticism of their hard work. Instead
it is about drawing together all relevant expertise into a 'skill-tank'
which has as its sole priority identifying the source of these toxic
heavy metals, the method by which they are poisoning people, and how to
best fix it," Ms O'Connor said.

"The Greens' proposed Rosebery taskforce, or skill-tank, would pull
together all relevant health, toxins, environment, social and mining
experts into one appropriately resourced body who could just focus on
this distressing situation without other distractions."

"As more residents come forward with alarming heavy metal blood test
results it is essential the community does not feel that the authorities
are putting it into the 'too hard' basket, but can see everything
possible is being done to get to the bottom of this situation."

"Additional to the first three Rosebery residents who have raised the
alarm over metal-laden water seepage on their properties and whether
that is connected with their deteriorating health, another resident,
Miss Kristine Smith, and her son have also reported alarming heavy metal
poisoning."

"Ms Smith's cadmium blood levels of 63 nanomoles per litre of blood when
the outside limit of the acceptable range for cadmium is 40 is highly
alarming, and the Greens believe the situation warrants the urgent
establishment of a dedicated taskforce."

"This is not about pushing a panic button, but is about assuring the
west coast community that everything possible is being done as
comprehensively as possible," Ms O'Connor said.




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