Legal action threat over toxic harbour

WITH its sparkling blue waters, iconic bridge and stunning Opera House, Sydney Harbour is regarded as one of the most beautiful waterways in the world.

But decades of industrial pollution have taken a toll, prompting the state government yesterday to offer free blood tests to fishermen who fear they may have been poisoned by dioxins.

Commercial fishing in the world-famous harbour was banned in January after tests found that bream and prawns had unacceptable levels of dioxin.

Several fishermen are now considering legal action against the New South Wales government over possible exposure to dioxins, which at high enough levels can cause cancer.

“The issue is a complex one. The fact of contamination of the Parramatta River and Sydney Harbour is well-known,” said lawyer David Taylor of the firm Turner Freeman, who plans to meet next week with seven fishermen to discuss possible litigation.

“The key question is were professional and recreational fisherman sufficiently warned, or warned at all, about the risks associated with this contamination? If the answer to this is ‘no’, then the government may have a problem.”

The harbour is used by Sydneysiders for a host of recreational activities, including sailing, swimming, scuba diving and angling. But its picture-postcard views belie the fact that heavy industry, such as chemical manufacturer Union Carbide, pumped toxic substances into the waterway for years when environmental controls were negligible.

Dioxins are a group of toxic chemicals that build up in body fat during a person’s lifetime and are originally formed when material burns, such as in the processing of industrial waste.

The NSW Health Department yesterday recommended that people eat only small quantities of seafood caught in the harbour.