As promised the following is the details as promised of the warning I gave the Health Dept after the industrial accident/spillage/spray years back.
I'm sorry I can't remember the date but that shouldn't be too difficult to track down.
Anyway at the time I was one of the two spokespersons for 'Residents Against Dioxin' (RAD), the other was Janet Roborough who was a Values party activist and has since died.
At the time of the accident I was in Wellington installing a computer system and the Daily News contacted me for comment. I immediately contacted the senior medical officer of health (Health Dept) for a meeting to discuss the accident.
I advised him that the spray from the accident that escaped the plant as a mist, likely contained dioxin and that it had the potential to be as bad as Seveso in Italy - another extremely bad industrial accident involving a dioxin spillage and since closed down and locked behind fences as a permanent health hazard.
I also pointed out that as the spray apparently swept seawards, containment would be simple by closing a section of Beach Road and allowing residents access around the sides. However those close residents should consider evacuating.
His response was was to poo poo me and state "Mr Brennan, you wouldn't want to panic the residents of New Plymouth", a quote I will always remember more for the sheer stupidity of it, especially as he hadn't investigated it at the time. I tried unsuccessfully to alert him to the significant risk of doing nothing but he wasn't prepared to act until he had a dioxin sample tested, which was going to take some 2 weeks.
I left frustrated but that was nothing new when dealing with the then Health Dept. Regards, Spokespersons For 'Residents Against Dioxin' (RAD)
