Dioxin tests for fishermen, families
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
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Sydney Harbour's commercial fishermen will be tested for dioxin contamination at the State Government's expense after the Premier, Morris Iemma, yesterday ignored advice from the Department of Health that the tests would be meaningless.
As the city's commercial fishermen took to the water to protest against the threat to their livelihoods from toxic substances in the harbour, Mr Iemma announced that 44 fishermen and their immediate families would be offered free testing, and negotiations would continue to buy back their fishing licences.
However, critics of the Government, including environmentalists and medical and chemical experts, said it was not doing enough to ensure waterways were cleaned of toxic substances dumped decades ago by the likes of the chemical manufacturer Union Carbide.
An investigation by the ABC's 7.30 Report has found a family who had eaten harbour seafood regularly had dangerous levels of dioxin in their blood.
Apr 20, 2006
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
________________________________
Sydney Harbour's commercial fishermen will be tested for dioxin contamination at the State Government's expense after the Premier, Morris Iemma, yesterday ignored advice from the Department of Health that the tests would be meaningless.
As the city's commercial fishermen took to the water to protest against the threat to their livelihoods from toxic substances in the harbour, Mr Iemma announced that 44 fishermen and their immediate families would be offered free testing, and negotiations would continue to buy back their fishing licences.
However, critics of the Government, including environmentalists and medical and chemical experts, said it was not doing enough to ensure waterways were cleaned of toxic substances dumped decades ago by the likes of the chemical manufacturer Union Carbide.
An investigation by the ABC's 7.30 Report has found a family who had eaten harbour seafood regularly had dangerous levels of dioxin in their blood.
Apr 20, 2006
