ABOUT 200 residents turned out to an emotionally charged rally at Newport on Saturday, outraged at plans to use a lethal ozone-depleting gas near their homes, parks, kindergartens and schools.
Container Fumigation Services wants to fumigate containers at 407 Douglas Parade, Spotswood, with methyl bromide – a colourless, odourless pesticide banned in many OECD countries.
More than 400 objections have been received by Hobsons Bay Council, which will commission an independent report into methyl bromide’s health effects.
Mother of two young children Leanne Papadopoulos said methyl bromide should be banned altogether.
“Obviously, living only a few hundred metres down the street is very concerning because we know this is a lethal and potent substance to be using and I think it shouldn’t be used anywhere, let alone in Hobsons Bay.”
Gellibrand Cricket Club junior president Jaime Bulbeck said the plans were like a “kick in the guts”.
His club has about 150 children who play and train near the proposed toxic gas site. “It’s a really great, growing family club and … we find out someone wants to put methyl bromide very close to us.
“And it’s ‘miles’ within the exclusion zone; it’s not just creeping over 1000metres, it’s well inside. We’re really quite concerned and we don’t want it. It doesn’t make any sense at all.”
Rally organiser and Williamstown resident Olly Tripodi told the crowd that Australia and 196 other nations had agreed to phase out methyl bromide by 2005 under the Montreal Protocol.
“The west of Melbourne is one of the most densely populated parts of Australia,” he said, “and we’re talking about putting a fumigation centre using methyl bromide smack bang in the middle?
“And the worst part is that there are viable alternatives.”
Williamstown MP Wade Noonan told of a spill in NSW about three months ago.
On April 9, residents in the Newcastle suburb of Carrington were told to stay indoors after about 100 kilograms of methyl bromide leaked from a canister during fumigation.
Rodney Noonan (no relation to Wade Noonan), a former chief engineer at West Swanson Dock, said anyone who doubted methyl bromide was dangerous should look to the rest of the world. “Reports from all over the world are that they’ve stopped the fumigation using this particular chemical – I think that answers that.”
New Zealand’s maritime union became part of a coalition against the use of the pesticide after six port workers died from motor neurone disease.
