A company's bid to release a highly toxic gas into Tauranga's atmosphere has been quashed after environmental regulators found that its use has already reached "worrying" levels.
The Environment Court blocked an application by Envirofume Ltd to fumigate logs for export using methyl bromide at the Port of Tauranga.
Envirofume wanted to pump the gas into logs while they lay under tarpaulins, a method that lets some escape into the atmosphere and waft into surrounding areas. The company altered its application to allow gas to escape at a one to 14 ratio with air using a fan system, but the court still said no.
Use of the gas at Port Nelson was suspected to have caused the deaths of up to six people who contracted motor neurone disease between 2002 and 2005, although medical reports reached conflicting conclusions.
In its decision, the court rejected Envirofume's application but noted that another company, Genera, continued to use methyl bromide at the port. Genera can release the gas so long as it does not exceed set limits at the port's boundary.