3290 people report health concerns over spraying operation

6.00pm

Almost 3300 people so far have reported health problems associated with the controversial painted apple moth eradication operation in West Auckland.

In a statement released today, the director of public health, Dr Colin Tukuitonga, said the Ministry of Health had received the first summary of health concerns of people affected by the spraying programme being conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF).

Of the 3290 who have reported health concerns, 1148 have been assessed by a doctor in conjunction with the Painted Apple Moth support service.

During this time, 619 people have been provided with practical support plans to assist in limiting their exposure to the spray.

Most of the concerns relate to asthma, irritation from the spray of the eyes, nose, throat, headaches, and aggravating of pre-existing conditions such as multiple chemical sensitivity, food allergy, skin conditions, respiratory tract, immune suppression and situational stress.

These figures are based on the number of people who have been drawn to the attention of the Medical Officer of Health as suspected of meeting the criteria for notification of disease "arising out of chemical poisoning of the environment".

The Ministry of Health will continue to receive monthly reports on the effects of the spraying from MAF .

The ministry has also commissioned an independent community consultation process to discuss and gauge health concerns relating to the painted apple moth spraying programme.

The eradication of the moth began in 1999 after the discovery in the Auckland suburb of Glendene and later Mount Wellington. Eradication efforts have included ground surveys, insect trapping, aerial and ground spraying with insecticide, removal of infected and possible host plants.

This work was originally conducted in a 900 hectare area of suburban Auckland encompassing some 4410 households and was extended in October 2002 to include about 160,000 residents.

- NZPA