11. TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What resourcing, if any, has been made available from Vote Health to former sawmill workers in Whakatāne who have raised concerns about the numbers of deaths and ill health resulting from chemical poisoning?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
I thank the member for his interest. There has been quite a lot of resourcing. The member will be aware that the full range of primary and secondary services are available to this group, and that, in addition, the Bay of Plenty medical officer of health takes a special interest in ensuring that all services are able to be readily accessed, and that local general practitioners are kept up to date on health issues that may emerge from within the former mill workforce.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Kua rongo ia mō te rapunga kōrero o te tau 2001 i kī nei, nā te pentachlorophenol, tata atu ki te 30 ōrau o ngā kaimahi 62 o te mira kani rākau i māuiui, ā, he aha hoki te take kei te tirohia anō ngā mōrehu kaimahi o taua 62 i runga i te āhua, kei te mōhiotia he aha i māuiui ai?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Is he aware of the medical study conducted in 2001 of 62 former sawmill workers that found that pentachlorophenol was the probable cause of health problems in about a third of cases; if so, why are the survivors of the original 62 being forced to go through yet another series of tests to confirm what is already known?]
I think the member is making the point that this is an issue greater than dioxin—that it includes pentachlorophenol and, indeed, a range of other organic chlorines, as well. I agree with him that there is a mix in there. The member asks why we are going through further experimentation and research. The answer is that this is an issue for which there is no settled science, and we need to try to get some.
Judy TurnerCan the Minister explain, then, what results or amelioration have come out of the medical study carried out on the 62 sawmill workers in 2001, which found that pentachlorophenol was the probable cause of one-third of health problems amongst workers in this industry?
I am afraid that it is not as easy as we would like it to be to link a particular chemical to a particular condition in a particular population; it just is not. So the Government is continuing to explore relationships as far as it is able, with research as far as it can do it. But the most important thing is, of course, to look carefully after the health of those people who have been, or who may have been, exposed in a damaging way to a range of chemicals in an earlier time.
Will the Minister consider compensating first-generation sufferers of dioxin poisoning even if all the research into its effects has not yet been completed, in light of the fact that many sufferers will be dead by the time the research is completed?
The Government’s approach has been to meet with, to talk with, and to provide services as necessary and appropriate to, this workforce. We do realise there is a high chance that they are damaged as the result of earlier chemical exposures. It cannot be proved and it cannot be disproved, but it is clear that, as a population, they suffer serious health issues that they should be receiving ongoing special care for, and we hope to deliver it.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
I runga i te āhua o te whakapapa o te paitini dioxin, arā, he ōrite ki ngā ariā kino o te Hanga Ārani, he aha te take kāore i te tirohia i tēnei wā mēnā kua pā te mate ki ngā uri, tamariki, mokopuna hoki o ngā kaimahi tawhito o te mira kani rākau i Whakatāne?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[In light of the genetic aspects of dioxin poison—similar to the effects of Agent Orange—why are the children and the mokopuna of the former sawmill workers of Whakatāne not being tested in current studies, to determine whether their health has been negatively affected?]
I do not have a detailed answer available for the member, I am sorry. My recollection—and I am afraid that we will have to go on that—is that there is research under way on DNA disruption. I think it is coming out of Massey University. That should help us understand whether there is a generational issue of consequence.