Soil danger in home sites

Dangerous chemicals have been found in the soil of more than one in five residential properties in western Bay of Plenty.

A study of 128 horticultural and agricultural sites for five local councils in the wider Bay of Plenty found that a "significant" number of sites exceeded guidelines for background agricultural residue.

Western Bay of Plenty fared worst, with 22 per cent of residential and 33 per cent of agricultural land exceeding guidelines.

The sites were tested for seven trace metals and 24 organochloride pesticides, including copper, arsenic and DDT.

Environment Bay of Plenty's Paul Dell said the findings showed that each site needed to be checked for contamination when subdivision applications were being considered on old horticultural properties.

- NZPA