TASPORTS is preparing to release up to 1.5 tonnes of highly toxic gas into the atmosphere at its Bell Bay port - less than six kilometres from George Town.
The state-owned entity will for the first time carry out an on-ship fumigation for Forestry Tasmania next month using methyl bromide - an ozone-depleting gas banned by the European Union that is highly toxic to humans and animals.
Tasports says it is licensed by the Federal Government to undertake on-ship fumigation and is confident the fumigation of radiata pine logs would not put its employees, other port users or the public at risk.
The odourless, colourless gas is widely used by Australia's Quarantine and Inspection Service but is usually used and extracted from gas-tight fumigation enclosures.
Fumigation will be done in the ship's hold because of the size of the consignment and because the whole logs will not have bark removed.
A spokeswoman for Forestry Tasmania said radiata pine logs were almost always exported with the bark.
Strict guidelines detail that in preparation for fumigation the ship's windows, doors, hatches, ventilation points and entry and exit points must be made gas-tight.
After being pumped in, fans will be used to circulate the poison for up to 20 hours to ensure all bugs are killed.
The seals will be gradually released to ensure that only small quantities of the fumigant will be released at any one time.
Tasports chief operations officer David Phillips said in- hold fumigations were standard practice in other Australian states and around the world.
"We have adopted a higher standard than that used in other jurisdictions," he said.
The Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer - to which Australia is a signatory - urges parties to refrain from use of methyl bromide and to minimise emissions through containment and recovery where possible.
A New Zealand toxicologist in January 2005 made links between the poison and a cluster of deaths from motor neurone disease among New Zealand port workers.
Mr Phillips said perimeter boundaries would be set up around the fumigation zone, which would be policed by closed-circuit TV and security staff.
The installation of "gas sniffer" equipment on the ship and around the buffer zone perimeter would also ensure safety levels were not exceeded, Mr Phillips said.
"The gas is released from the holds of ships in a controlled manner and the nature of methyl bromide is that it breaks down quickly and on venting poses no additional risk to port users or the general public," he said.
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