Greenpeace Aotearoa is warning New Zealand must learn from the devastating legacy of toxic chemical use after a new Human Rights Commission report examined the impact of pentachlorophenol, or PCP, on workers, whānau and communities.
PCP is a highly toxic chemical that was extensively used in New Zealand for decades, particularly in sawmills as a timber preservative.
Greenpeace says its widespread use left a legacy of serious illness and environmental contamination, with former mill workers and their families among those affected. The organisation says PCP is a persistent organic pollutant that can accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and animals.
The Human Rights Commission report examines the issue through a human rights lens, with Greenpeace welcoming its findings and calling on the Government to implement its recommendations.
Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman says the history of PCP demonstrates what can happen when potentially dangerous chemicals are widely used before their long-term effects are properly addressed.
The environmental organisation says the legacy remains visible today through hundreds, potentially thousands, of contaminated sites around Aotearoa that could continue to pose risks to people and the environment.
The issue has particular significance for Māori communities.
Greenpeace says a high proportion of the sawmill workers exposed to PCP were Māori, meaning the consequences of industrial chemical exposure have been carried by workers, whānau and communities across generations.
The Human Rights Commission recommendations highlighted by Greenpeace include a national inquiry into PCP contamination, support and compensation for affected workers and whānau, environmental risk assessments and testing of contaminated sites.
They also include establishing a national remediation fund and strengthening regulation and corporate accountability.
Greenpeace says the lessons from PCP are especially relevant as New Zealand debates how new chemicals and agrichemicals should be regulated.
The organisation is critical of the Government’s moves to change agrichemical approval processes, arguing New Zealand should instead take a precautionary approach when the long-term environmental and human health consequences of chemicals are uncertain.
Greenpeace itself campaigned against organochlorine chemicals including PCP throughout the 1990s and 2000s, as community pressure grew over contamination and health impacts associated with their historical use.
For affected whānau, however, the issue is not simply history.
Contaminated whenua, unresolved health concerns and questions about responsibility mean the consequences of decisions made decades ago can still be felt today.
The challenge for the Government will now be whether the Human Rights Commission report leads to further investigation, remediation and support for those affected.
For Greenpeace, the wider lesson is clear: when potentially toxic chemicals are introduced into workplaces, whenua and communities, waiting decades to understand the consequences can leave generations paying the price.
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