More Auckland schools identified in toxic probe

Nine more schools and a city creche have been singled out for testing in the contaminated soil probe that closed several Auckland preschools.

The investigation has been extended to nearly 200 more sites - possibly including private land.

Although Auckland City Council can't say which areas are of particular concern for elevated levels of hydrocarbons including benzo-a-pyrene, it has confirmed private homeowners could be among those affected as the toxic soil could have been shipped anywhere in greater Auckland.

"There may well be some contamination on privately owned sites. That is the responsibility of the landowners to deal with," deputy mayor Bruce Hucker said last week.

The council believes the contaminated soil may have come from the old Beaumont St gasworks site, next to Victoria Park, about 30 years ago.

Tests on that soil showed the level of toxins would result in 15 more cases of bladder, lung or stomach cancer for every million people because of carcinogenic hydrocarbons.

The Ministry of Education has alerted the nine schools and the Auckland Girls' Grammar creche following new information from the council.

The schools - Panama Road School, Te Papapa School, Avondale Primary, Mt Albert Grammar, Mt Albert School, Onehunga Primary, Waikowhai School, Glendowie School and Tamaki School - will be assessed by an environment consultant to see whether they need soil testing. Preliminary results from an 11th school - Freeman's Bay - have shown its soil is free from contamination.

Auckland Girls' Grammar creche is the ministry's priority and testing will take place there immediately. "At the moment this is purely precautionary - there's absolutely no evidence of any contamination of any kind at those schools," a ministry spokesman said.

The council is still working to identify the the scale of the contamination, though it has stressed there is no evidence of any immediate danger.

"The council has advised the ministry that nine schools are near to land that had previously been industrial or horticultural sites or might include some landfill that had been brought to the school from other sites," the ministry spokesman said.

Dr Hucker said the problem with the family of chemicals involved was that there was no safe threshold. "People could be exposed to a very small dose and it could be a contributing factor to cancer later in life."

The kindergartens were placed at the top of the priority list after concerns that children eating dirt were likely to ingest dangerous hydrocarbons. Work to remove contaminated dirt from the sites has cost about $500,000. The council says it does not know how much the additional sites will cost.

The council also paid for medical testing of preschool children at the sites - including those which three of Dr Hucker's grandchildren attend - and found nothing to indicate adverse health effects from soil contamination.

Dr Hucker said the council had narrowed down its 1409 properties to 185 that needed further study for soil contamination.

Affected council properties also included Victoria Park in central Auckland, found last year to have contaminated soil from the gasworks. Remedial works were completed last year.

Investigations were also under way at Captain Springs Road Reserve in Onehunga and Vic Cowen Park, Mt Wellington. Tests will be done on Ferndale Park and Riversdale Reserve, both in Mt Albert.

Council planning adviser Marcus Herrmann said the council did not know if it had found the worst of the contamination. "We don't have any indication how far it might have spread. We're looking at the history."

Mr Herrmann has received calls from private landowners concerned about soil contamination and had given contact details for consultants who could do testing.

Do you know?

Auckland City wants to hear from supervisors or contractors involved with the old Beaumont St Gasworks who might know of waste material being transported to use as fill between 1940 and 1970. Please leave details at (09) 379 2020.