A solution to asbestos on sections in Manukau City is closer. But dozens of other contaminated sites remain. ALAN PERROTT looks at what is being done.
The people of Flat Bush have been living with the spectre of asbestos for 3 1/2 years.
Developers uncovered the potentially deadly material in the soil of the Manukau City suburb in November 1997.
Manukau City Council urged people to stay calm, but residents complained that were not warned of the contamination when they bought their properties.
As the resale value of their homes fell, they protested that their health and that of their children could be at long-term risk.
Residents' groups such as MAAG (Manukau Asbestos Action Group) were quickly established to lobby local politicians and the national media, and the council began amassing reports.
Despite all the debate, the biggest surprise to many is that no one seems to have known the asbestos was there.
As far back as 1963, Paul Cavanagh, QC, unsuccessfully sued the then Manukau County Council for asbestos dumping that had been going on for decades.
Last month the Government strode into the middle of the debate with a report from the local government and environment select committee.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is the name given to a naturally occurring group of fibrous minerals. Asbestos rock fibres are very light, durable, flexible and heat resistant, with high tensile strength and great binding properties. These make it very versatile - it has more than 3000 uses.
There are three types of asbestos: chrysolite (white), crocidolite (blue - the most dangerous form) and amosite (brown).
In New Zealand, asbestos has been used mainly in construction materials for roofing and cladding, and in products such as decorative coatings, pipe and boiler insulation, brake linings, gaskets, floor tiles and asbestos cement pipes.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
Buried asbestos is not dangerous, but if it is disturbed or abraded by sanding, sawing, drilling or rough handling, fibres can be released into the air.
While larger fibres are handled by the body's defences in the nose and upper airways, tiny fibres can be inhaled and become lodged deep within the lungs. Such microscopic fibres will never break down and cannot be removed.
If they accumulate, they can lead to lung cancer, mesothelioma (cancer of the chest lining or abdominal lining) or asbestosis (irreversible, possibly fatal lung scarring).
A study in the New Zealand Medical Journal in November 2000 said the country had entered an "unrivalled period of occupational cancer deaths resulting from past workplace exposure to airborne asbestos fibres."
The rate of malignant mesothelioma reached 25 per million for men in 1995 and three per million for women. By the time it is diagnosed, it is incurable. The 1995 rate is likely to double by 2010.
A "conservative" estimate of future asbestos-related deaths almost equals the death rate from malignant melanoma (cancer) while the maximum estimate exceeds the number of road deaths.
Where did the Flat Bush asbestos come from?
Large amounts of asbestos waste were produced at the old James Hardie factory in Penrose and dumped throughout the Auckland region by private contractors between the 1930s and late 1970s. The lethal effects of asbestos became known in 1975.
One contractor, Patumahoe driver Fred "Westie" Thomas, told the Herald in April 1999 that he remembered trucking thousands of tonnes of asbestos pipe and fibrolite sheeting to Flat Bush, Alfriston, Papakura, Whitford and Karaka and the central suburbs of Remuera, St Johns Park, Ellerslie and Mt Wellington.
The biggest dump site is centred on Hugo Johnston Drive in Southdown.
Where is the worst contamination in Flat Bush, and what is the council doing?
Most concern centres on five properties on Rakaia Rise and a shared accessway which contain bulk asbestos material.
Manukau City's environmental manager, Ree Anderson, says the council met the Rakaia Rise residents on March 29 to discuss the eventual removal of all asbestos from the affected properties.
Another meeting is planned in the next few weeks, but any final decision will be subject to the resource consent process, which includes consulting neighbours, and possible appeals.
How did Parliament's local government and environment committee get involved?
Manukau East MP Ross Robertson presented a petition to Parliament in September 1998. An inquiry followed to investigate how the asbestos was dumped in the East Tamaki-Flat Bush area, establish the council's responsibilities and suggest remedies.
The original investigation foundered at the last election, but began again with the new parliamentary committee chaired by Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons.
What did the committee recommend to Manukau City Council?
While its recommendations are not binding, the committee asked the council to:
* Offer help to Flat Bush property owners wanting their properties tested for asbestos contamination.
* Help residents gain a clean bill of health on the land information memorandums (LIM reports) for their properties.
* Check any public areas near a known contaminated site before any excavation is undertaken.
* Remove the asbestos contaminating the Rakaia Rise properties as long as it can be done without releasing further fibres into the air.
* Undertake the same sort of remedial work it would expect of any future developer, so landowners can have asbestos warnings removed from their LIM reports.
* Include restrictions or conditions to regulate and control any excavation on contaminated sites in the district plan.
* Settle any dispute with residents over council handling of asbestos contamination through mediation or arbitration, with the final decision to be binding.
How has Manukau City responded?
Environment manager Ree Anderson says the council is already carrying out several of the committee's recommendations - including working on more positive wording for the LIM reports and negotiating the removal of the asbestos affecting Rakaia Rise properties - at a cost of about $600,000.
The council has developed guidelines for dealing with contaminated sites and any development on them, and its management committee met yesterday to draft a reply to the select committee. It is likely to seek compensation from the Government for the $750,000 it estimates it has spent.
What were the committee's recommendations to the Government?
The committee wants the Government to develop national guidelines for cleaning all contaminated sites. Asbestos is believed to have been dumped at dozens of places throughout the country.
It also wants further guidelines for specific contaminants in order of potential risk to people and environment. It wants guidelines to set "safe" levels of contamination and to specify how warnings should be placed on LIM reports.
It also wants the Ministry for the Environment to examine legislation governing how subdivisions and earthworks are approved on contaminated sites.
Why are national guidelines important?
Friends of the Earth activist Bob Tait says the absence of guidelines makes it difficult to work out who is responsible for dealing with a contaminated site.
"If there are no workers on site, then Occupational Safety and Health aren't involved. If it isn't a construction site, the Department of Labour isn't involved. We must have a clear set of rules that says who is responsible for what."
What did the committee say about the health risk facing Flat Bush residents?
The committee found that the asbestos fibre was reasonably well fixed in a cement-based form so it would be very difficult for fibres to escape from the soil into the air.
The environmental risk was "much less than the risks deemed acceptable by most public health authorities and many orders of magnitude less than other occupational and lifestyle risks accepted by society."
What do the locals think of the report?
One affected resident, former Act MP the Rev Ann Batten, says the report is heading in the right direction. While the council does not have to follow any of the recommendations, she says it puts Manukau City "under pressure to act in good faith as well as keeping them reasonably accountable."
But she still wants the council to offer financial help to residents wanting to upgrade their properties, particularly those who cannot afford to pay for an investigation, and compensation for those whose properties have been devalued.
What do you do if you find asbestos?
Auckland Healthcare says that if asbestos is found around your home or property, you need approved protective clothing before trying to get rid of it. Disposable overalls, respirators, gloves and shoe covers are available from safety equipment firms.
Once equipped, you should wet the material with a low-pressure hose to stop fibres escaping. Do not break it into smaller pieces or eat, drink or smoke near it.
All material should be placed in special disposal bags, not ordinary rubbish bags. These are available from disposal companies but should be only half filled to avoid piercing. They should be conspicuously labelled: "Asbestos-Containing Material."
The Auckland Regional Council recommends that small amounts of contaminated material be taken to Forman Insulation, 95 Hugo Johnson Drive, Penrose, for disposal. But you must call first on (09) 571-0511 as no material will be accepted without notice. This service is not free. Details of charges are on the ARC website.
Links
Auckland Regional Council asbestos removal
Asbestos: the killer in the soil
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