Secret pollution

By Lisa Macdonald

On June 21 Greenpeace released Dioxin Factories, the first major report documenting dioxin pollution in Australia, and called on the federal government to legislate immediately for a national pollutant inventory.

The establishment of an inventory, which would collect information on the use and release of hazardous substances by industry, was originally announced in 1992 but has not yet been implemented. Greenpeace toxics campaigner Matt Ruchel says that after three years of consultation by the Commonwealth, there is no reason for further delay. He added that the inventory must be established under uniform federal legislation if it is to be enforceable and entrench the community's right to know.

Dioxin Factories shows that dioxin emissions from steelworks account for more than 90% of the total dioxin load in NSW and that many factories have emissions up to 65 times the German standard. There is no regulation of dioxin in Australia other than limited, ad hoc monitoring by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.

The report identified six organisations which are currently emitting significant amounts of dioxin: BHP, Clinical Wastes Australia, Recycling and Processing Service of NSW, Lithgow Hospital and Waverley and Woollahra councils. Ruchel says, "There is now overwhelming evidence that the current system of monitoring chemical pollution by industry isn't working. Companies are getting away with secret pollution of the environment at the risk of public health."

According to Greenpeace, pollution or toxic release inventories have been successful in reducing pollution and promoting clean production overseas. It cites the US example, where the release of toxic chemicals has declined by 43% since 1988, when it implemented its toxic release inventory.

From GLW issue 237