Asbestos fears aired at Patea meeting

DISTRUST of authorities and fears that Patea was still contaminated by asbestos fall-out from last week's freezing works fire dominated a public meeting in the township last night.
The freezing works burned down on Waitangi Day, causing partial evacuation of the town and concerns about a public health risk.
Last night's meeting was standing room only at the Egmont St venue and began with fiery accusations of a cover-up of the extent of the asbestos risk and demands that officials "be honest" with the town.
Patea people not only questioned the "haphazard" evacuation which left only some people aware of the risk, but also questioned the test results done on 22 earth and air samples that showed the area was asbestos-free.
They asked why so few air samples were taken and why they had been done so late.
"Isn't your company the preferred supplier for government and the Ministry of Health?" one woman asked.
Capital Environmental Services Ltd expert Linda Dwyer said earth samples were a better indicator of contamination than air samples and they could not get the equipment there sooner.
Liz Lambert also questioned why it took three days to do the air test when Patea was only three hours' drive from Wellington.
"It appears to me that we are being very, very short-changed ... These resources should be available to us," she said.
Mimo Marunera said he knew of some people who had suffered chemical burns to their nostrils and mouths from the fire.
"Let's be honest right from the word go; what we need is up front yes, no (answers), where to go from here," he said. The fire brigades' handling of the asbestos risk was also challenged at the meeting. Lindsay Nyman, who had professional experience in dealing with asbestos, said it was clear fire officers had no experience or credentials to deal with an asbestos fire.
"You were unsafe down there you didn't wear the appropriate gear you should have down there."
Haleigh Waihape challenged claims their response was appropriate, saying people were put at risk.
"What about the men that we exposed to it that were volunteers? How many people" she said.
Duty chief fire officer Pat Fitzell confirmed he had no asbestos qualifications, but was quite confident officers had conformed to safety standards at the site.
Local iwi representative Mike Neho voiced calls for unity at the meeting, saying local Maori wanted to contribute to organising support for the community and be involved in plans to clean up the works.
"Our iwi are certainly prepared to work with the community rather than throw darts at you. You make pretty good dartboards, we don't want that," he told council officers.
The meeting closed with a karakia, with others calling for the whole community to take responsibility and deal with the problem together.
After the meeting, Te Tau Hauauru MP Tariana Turia told the Wanganui Chronicle she thought the Patea community's response was "the right one" and showed they cared. It was clear local government didn't have adequate resources to address the clean-up of freezing works and hospital sites and the Government should step in to help.
It also needed to give the people assurance if in future people began to show effects of asbestos poisoning, resources for their health care would be there to meet their needs.
"The DHB is trying to give people confidence, but I don't think there is confidence in the people because sometimes it can take 20 years before people show the effects," she said.