Residents in 25 Clovelly Park homes told to leave after discovery of high levels of a potentially dangerous chemical
UPDATED: The Environment Minister is resisting calls to resign over a delay in alerting residents of potential health risks from a chemical found in the soil and air.
ENVIRONMENT Minister Ian Hunter is resisting Opposition calls to resign over delays in alerting Clovelly Park residents of potential health risks from an industrial chemical that has been discovered at high levels in soil and air testing.
The Government received a private consultant’s report warning of dangers in May.
It says the past six weeks were spent auditing the findings before Cabinet on Monday decided to alert residents. Release of the information was fast-tracked after it emerged in State Parliament yesterday.
The Government is expected to release that report, by URS Australia, later this afternoon.
The Government has confirmed test results last year uncovered high levels of TCE, a metal cleaner, in air samples last year.
At high concentrations, the chemical is associated with liver and kidney cancers.
Opposition Leader Steven Marshall this morning said Mr Hunter should resign.
“He’s had plenty of opportunities over the last six weeks including 10 Parliamentary sitting days in that period where he could have informed the Parliament and informed the people of South Australia what was going on. He failed to do that and now he needs to resign,” Mr Marshall said.
“This is just simply unacceptable that the Government have taken so long to take action.
“This is an issue which should have been brought to their attention weeks and weeks and weeks ago. Unfortunately we’ve got a Government which is completely and utterly asleep at the wheel and keeping residents completely in the dark.”
Mr Hunter said the Government had to properly evaluate the report before taking action.
“It’s important to understand that we’re talking about a chemical exposure which takes years, if not decades to have an impact, so the advice from Health was that it’s very unlikely that any residents have been exposed to levels of trichloroethylene which would have a negative impact on their health and that we should take our time to talk to them and give them this advice.
“We had planned to do this today in fact but irresponsible questioning in Parliament yesterday, seeking to alarm people, forced the Government to move a little bit earlier so we brought it ahead by about 20 hours.”
EARLIER
RESIDENTS in 25 Clovelly Park homes have been told to move out after high levels of a potentially dangerous chemical were discovered in the air and soil.
The State Government last night sent teams of officials from the Environment Protection Authority and SA Health to doorknock homes in Ash Ave, Chestnut Crt and Mimosa Tce to advise latest testing had found increased levels of an industrial chemical.
Trichloroethylene is believed to have entered the groundwater after use at the nearby Monroe factory.
A report delivered to the Government in May found TCE was now present in soil and air samples from homes.
Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Minister Ian Hunter downplayed health risks for the mostly Housing Trust residents, who will be moved elsewhere in the coming months.
“There are no immediate public health risks but there is a need to undertake some actions in the short term,” he said. “It’s not an emergency. This is long-term exposure we are worried about. A couple of weeks will make absolutely no difference, is our advice.”
SA Health public health services director Kevin Buckett said the levels recorded in the affected homes were “thousands of times lower than the limits allowable in occupational settings” and “we wouldn’t expect anyone in the area to have had their health impacted”.
The affected residents, estimated at about 30, will be offered health checks.
The Government now faces political pressure over delays in alerting residents.
Mr Hunter on Wednesday confirmed the Government had been tracking the risk in Clovelly Park for years and been aware of elevated concentrations for several weeks.
Mr Hunter said the report obtained in May was audited by Government officials before he was told last week that “in an abundance of caution, we should consider options”.
“I took that advice to Cabinet on Monday. Cabinet agreed to put in place a plan to talk to residents on Thursday to advise them of this latest information and to advise them that the Government would suggest they consider relocating,” Mr Hunter said.
However, the Government was forced into immediate action late on Wednesday after the Opposition used Question Time to demand detailed answers from several ministers.
Premier Jay Weatherill confirmed a “very extensive communication strategy” was being prepared but did not expand on details of the contamination discovered.
Late on Wednesday, Mr Marshall said the Government had an obligation to inform people “as quickly as possible” if they were in danger. “That protocol has not been followed in this instance,” he said.
In 2010, nine residents were door-knocked and advised of testing being undertaken by Monroe, with a further 40 homes in the area letterbox dropped for information only. In 2008, residents were advised not to use bore water for any purpose after traces of TCE were found in groundwater off the Monroe and former Mitsubishi properties.
Ash Ave resident Justin Pearce, 40, bought his Clovelly Park home about 15 years ago and said despite Mr Hunter personally knocking on his door last night, he felt he had been kept in the dark about testing in the area.
“We had testing here last year, but it’s been six months without any information,” he said. He was last night told someone would be in contact within two weeks about moving. His biggest concern was for his two young sons.
“They had ear infections and tonsillitis which (doctors) said weren’t related, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Another Ash Ave resident, Lisa, said she held concerns for the future health of her son, aged 10. “Most people here say their children are sick when they first move here,” she said.
“The long-term effects are concerning, my son was three when we moved in here. We won’t know until later what effect it’s had.”
A Chestnut Ct resident of 18 years said eight people on her street had died from cancer in that time.
Mr Weatherill said the contamination levels were “of concern” for residents.
“(But) There’s no evacuation,” Mr Weatherill said.
“There’s going to be an orderly process of relocation so that the homes can be checked, made safe, hopefully people can go back into the homes they are in,” he said.
“Rather than people running around frightening and alarming people we wanted to make sure they had the information in an orderly fashion and its sad that hasn’t happened.”
Mr Weatherill said that the Government would make sure there were no costs imposed on Housing Trust tenants to relocate but that it would consider what its responsibility was to the two private homes effected.
“There are going to be steps taken to remediate (the Housing Trust properties) first we need to see whether that’s practical. If that is practical then people may be given the opportunity of being about to move back in into those home,” he said.
— additional reporting Jordanna Schriever
HOW IT UNFOLDED
August 2012 — Monroe and site contamination consultant URS Australia begin indoor air and soil sampling assessments in Clovelly Park checking for TCE.
February 2013 — Testing finds TCE in indoor air at six properties. Monroe and URS Australia discuss the results with the Environment Protection Authority and health officials. Further testing is undertaken and TCE is found in air at three properties above acceptable levels.
April 2013 — Monroe and URS discuss the results with residents of the properties and letter drop residents in the broader area to advise of the test results and of further assessment.
October 2013 — Further indoor air and soil tests are taken. Five more properties are found to have TCE in indoor air, bringing the total number of homes with detections to 11.
December 2013 — Monroe and URS advise residents via a letter drop and direct discussion that the results from the testing would be used to develop a site investigation report.
May 2014 — Monroe’s health risk assessment report is given to the EPA.
Last week — The EPA and health officials complete their own audit of the health risk assessment report and advise Mr Hunter they believed action was needed to safeguard residents.
Monday — Cabinet agrees to alert residents on Thursday that they should leave their homes.
Yesterday — The Opposition raises the matter in Question Time and calls for immediate action. Within hours, Mr Hunter calls a press conference to outline the danger and advise people will be moved from their homes. EPA and health officials are sent to doorknock the area from 6pm.