The number of TasNetworks and former Hydro-Electric Commission employees who think they may have been exposed to toxic chemicals through the course of their work has more than quadrupled in the past five months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
TasNetworks initiated conversations with employees who worked for HEC between the 1960s and 1980s around their use of herbicide for vegetation spraying as part of an investigation with WorkSafe Tasmania earlier this year.
In May, TasNetworks chief executive Lance Balcombe said the organisation was speaking with 12 employees and seven former HEC employees about the chemical exposure, but admitted at the time "some records are still being located or reviewed, we don't know how many people may be affected".
By mid August 85 people had come forward.
IN OTHER NEWS:
TasNetworks has conducted conversations with 77 of those 85 people.
The business has arranged one-on-one meetings between 41 people and the company's toxicologist Dr Roger Drew.
A further 36 meetings will take place with Dr Drew in the coming weeks, Mr Balcombe said.
"Of the 41 people we have already met with one-on-one, 33 have opted for a medical check-up, either via their GP or with an occupational physician," he said.
HEC crews worked in groups of four - two on chainsaws and two spraying - to cut down and poison trees underneath transmission lines and property right of ways during eight-hour shifts.
TasNetworks confirmed 2,3,7,8 - Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a contaminant in the herbicide 2,4,5-T, as well as Shell, Hortico, Yates, Weedone, Vallo and Hart's herbicides were used during the 1960s and 1970s.
Mr Balcombe has conceded "work safety practices during the 1960s and 1970s was not of a standard that would be accepted today".
RELATED STORIES:
WorkSafe Tasmania chief executive Mark Cocker said there were a number of health conditions associated with historic exposure to TCDD.
"It is understood that a number of scientific studies have recognised possible links between high exposure to TCDD and an increased risk of certain cancers, skin conditions and possibly other health effects," he said.
TasNetworks said it would support employees and former HEC employees who used the herbicide for work and would outline further action once medical appointments were finalised.
"Once all the requested medical check-ups have been completed, we will be in a better position to determine next steps," Mr Balcombe said.
Employees who think they may be affected can visit tasnetworks.com.au or worksafe.tas.gov.au or phone 1300 366 322.
The community is raising funds for four local charities as part of The Examiner's Winter Relief Appeal. Can you help?
Johanna Baker-Dowdell
Johanna has more than 22 years experience as a journalist for newspapers, magazines and online publications.
Johanna has more than 22 years experience as a journalist for newspapers, magazines and online publications.
