Sawmill workers poisoned by chemicals used in the timber industry are welcoming a new Human Rights Commission report that details the long-term and intergenerational harm caused by pentachlorophenol (PCP) exposure.
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission released The Legacy of PCP and its Dioxins in Aotearoa: An Overview of Human Rights Concerns in Whakatāne on Tuesday, examining the impacts on workers, whānau and communities exposed to PCP.
Sawmill Workers Against Poisons (SWAP) says the report validates what affected workers and their whānau have been fighting to have recognised for decades.
“This report names the human rights breaches the workers and our whanau have suffered and continue to suffer. Most of us who were poisoned at work do not get ACC, and ACC continues to refuse to acknowledge the varied range of illnesses which exposure to PCP and dioxins have caused,” says SWAP co-chair Kereama Akuhata of Ngāti Awa.
“We do not get proper health support, and we are still waiting for many of the contaminated sites in our area to be cleaned up. SWAP also knows that this is not just a Mataatua/Bay of Plenty problem; it is still affecting workers and whanau across the country,” says Akuhata.
PCP and dioxin related illnesses affect not just those exposed at work but the next generation and the mokopuna in the future.
— Kereama Akuhata, SWAP Co-Chair
The daughter of late SWAP leader and environmental campaigner Joe Harawira, co-chair Marama Cook says the report validates what workers and their whānau have fought for decades to have recognised.
“The legacy of PCP contamination is a human rights issue. Recognition matters, but must now be matched by action,” Cook affirms.
Akuhata says workers believed progress would be made when ACC approached SWAP as part of a review of its regulations in 2022, but PCP exposure was ultimately excluded from changes.
“It feels like Government is just waiting for us to die because it’s cheaper. We need specialist help and so do our whānau because the toxic legacy of illness passes through to the next generations,” Akuhata stresses.
“It’s retraumatising to be constantly let down and refused help and to see the effects on our mokopuna, as well as having to bury the sawmill workers who have never been compensated or given health support due to company negligence and Government indifference,” says Akuhata.
SWAP says the Kopeopeo Canal in Whakatāne has been partially remediated, but another 31 contaminated sites remain in the local area, with thousands of sites potentially undocumented nationwide.
Human Rights Commission calls for action
An estimated 6,000 tonnes of PCP was used in New Zealand sawmills to treat timber until 1988.
The Human Rights Commission says workers, whānau and communities were exposed to the highly toxic chemical, with health, environmental and intergenerational impacts continuing today.
The Commission’s report also finds Māori and their whenua are likely to have been disproportionately affected because of high Māori participation in the timber industry workforce and the proximity of contaminated sites to Māori land.
Rongomau Taketake, Indigenous Rights Governance Partner at Human Rights Commission, says, “Aotearoa must confront its toxic legacy with urgency and care.”
“Enduring barriers to accessing healthcare, remediation, and compensation for those exposed to PCP raises concerns about the Crown’s compliance with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and international human rights obligations,” says Takitimu.
The Commission says there has been little corporate accountability for harm caused by PCP exposure despite decades of research and advocacy.
It is calling for a coordinated response which could include a national inquiry into PCP contamination and regulatory failures, improved healthcare and compensation for workers and whānau, comprehensive testing and disclosure of contaminated sites, a national remediation fund, and stronger regulation and corporate accountability.
“This report is about providing a pathway to recognise the harm caused to workers and their communities, to restore their dignity, and ensure that future generations are protected,” says Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Professor Gail Pacheco.
Greenpeace backs calls for action
Greenpeace Aotearoa has also welcomed the report and is calling on the Government to implement its recommendations.
“The widespread use of PCP has left behind a legacy of death and disease for those who worked in the mills, and their families, a high proportion of whom are Māori,” says Dr Russel Norman, Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director.
“Their human rights were breached by the companies that exposed them to the poison, and they were breached by governments that delayed action to stop it.”
“It has also left a legacy of hundreds or even thousands of contaminated sites which continue to pose a risk to people and the environment,” says Norman.
Greenpeace has been campaigning against toxic organochlorine chemicals, including PCP, since the 1990s, with its campaign spanning publications, Rainbow Warrior tours and civil disobedience aimed at pushing the Government to act.
Norman says the legacy of PCP should also serve as a warning about how New Zealand regulates chemicals today.
“We need to learn the lessons of PCP. We must take a precautionary approach to novel chemicals. The current Government’s recent decision to de-regulate the approval of agrichemicals opens the door to another PCP disaster,” Norman says.
ACC Minister responds
ACC Minister Scott Simpson says he acknowledges the experiences of former sawmill workers and their whānau, but there are currently no plans to review the list of occupational diseases covered by the ACC Act.
“I acknowledge the experiences of former sawmill workers and their families. The claims are complex and are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the criteria set out in legislation,” Simpson says.
“There are no plans currently to review the list of occupational diseases within the ACC Act.”
More on this story to come.
