Methyl bromide review overdue but welcome: Greens

The Green Party is pleased that ERMA is finally listening to community concerns and will reassess the use of methyl bromide - an ozone depletor which has been linked to severe ill-health in workers.

ERMA announced today that they will reassess the continued use of methyl bromide, a highly toxic gas and one of the most ozone depleting substances ever invented, which is frequently used to fumigate timber exports.

“The Green Party has campaigned against the use of methyl bromide for years and we are pleased to see our efforts, and those of concerned and affected people around the country, are finally being heeded,” Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says.

“I hope that ERMA’s reassessment will be thorough and take the effects this toxic gas has on the environment and on the health of workers and locals into account.

“Unfortunately, we have seen that ERMA is quite willing to dismiss environmental effects, as with the recent endosulfan review, where that environmentally disastrous chemical was approved for continued use on our food and in our communities.

“The Green Party will support any recommendations to properly re-capture the methyl bromide gases or to ban the substance altogether.

“There is no reason not to take advantage of recapture technologies or use available alternatives. Our personal health and that of the environment must come first”.