Residents of a Thames suburb have been warned not
to eat home grown vegetables or let infants play in soil after tests
returned extremely high levels of arsenic.
Scientists have
discovered that sections in a 200-home subdivision in Moanataiari have
soil arsenic readings up to 17 times the recommended level.
The
suburb was built on the town's historic mining tailings, and the arsenic
is believed to have occurred naturally alongside the gold.
Health
experts told 300 locals gathered at the town's Civic Centre on Tuesday
night that young children were particularly at risk.
"If you have a
child who is one of those few children who just eats soil compulsively
and cannot be dissuaded from it, then it would be theoretically
possible, if you were unfortunate enough to have a very high level on
your property, for a child to be acutely poisoned," Waikato District
Health Board medical officer of health Dell Hood told the audience.
However, the risk was low.
Gardeners
in the 1960s block were told not to eat any produce until further
notice but to "store it until we know what's going on".
Dr Hood
reassured people that arsenic could only be absorbed by being swallowed,
urging residents to regularly sweep outdoor areas and wash hands before
they eat.
Medical tests were available, however they would only detail very recent exposure and not lifetime risk, she said.
Scientists
hope to test every section in three or four locations, with a plan to
remediate contaminated blocks by removing the first metre of top soil.
Testing would be completed by March.
Environment Minister Nick
Smith told the gathering he would approve an application to test and
clean up the site as soon as possible.
"My commitment to you is to process that as quickly as possible," Dr Smith said.
NZN