[Greens-Media] Minister told of school unflued heater health risks

[John Kaye]

Minister told of school unflued heater health risks
 
Media release: 24 May 2010
 
NSW Education Minister Verity Firth has been caught misleading the public and failing to protect the health of the students in her care, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye. ('Minister knew about school heater dangers' Sydney Morning Herald 24 May 2010, page 1, http://bit.ly/smh100524)
 
Dr Kaye said: "In early April 2009 her office was told that a substantial number of the so-called 'low nox' unflued gas heaters were 'testing at nitrogen dioxide levels over that considered safe for human exposure.' 
 
"Despite the Department of Health's warning, Verity Firth allowed her Department to continue to install unflued gas heaters for another year. 
 
"She persisted with her attempts to placate public concern by maintaining that they were safe if used 'appropriately'. 
 
"This is about the respiratory health of young people. 
 
"Ms Firth should have acted a year ago when she received the results of the Department of Health's testing program. 
 
"She should have instantly frozen any further installation and begun the process of replacing the most heavily used heaters.
 
"Instead she squandered a year on spin hiding behind yet another study. 
 
"By ignoring the 2009 warnings from the Department of Health, Verity Firth has exposed tens of thousands of young people to dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide. 
 
"Her inaction has almost certainly resulted in thousands of asthma attacks and may have even caused some students who did not previously have symptoms to develop the disease. 
 
"Verity Firth stands accused of gambling with the health of children. 
 
"She has resorted to spin and deception in order to put off the difficult admission that the NSW Labor government has failed to listen to at least six years of evidence of the health risks of unflued gas heaters," Dr Kaye said.
 
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455 
 
 
----------------------------------
John Kaye
Greens member of the NSW Parliament
phone: (02) 9230 2668
fax: (02) 9230 2586
mobile: 0407 195 455
email: john.kaye at parliament.nsw.gov.au
web: www.johnkaye.org.au
 
mail: Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000