From “Rangitikei Watch”
1080 poison (Sodium Monofluoroacetate) is a hazardous chemical that is repeatedly dumped in New Zealand’s landfill sites (official and unofficial) without consideration for the potential harm writes Pam Vernon.
Contrary to some claims, 1080 does not easily breakdown into ‘harmless by-products’ – it is highly lethal, stable in water, disperses readily through the environment, and in some conditions remains poisonous for months, if not years. For instance, in March 2000, 20 tonnes of mixed, unwanted 1080 poison baits, between 8-20 years old, were buried in West Coast farmland. When tested a few months later, the substance was still highly toxic.
Official Informatiom Act responses have revealed that for decades, Auckland, Canterbury, Winton, Whanganui and Marton landfills have all been recipients of tonnes of unwanted 1080 poison. This is because according the manufacturers, the cereal baits have a limited shelf-life (how convenient for their profit margins?). Apparently, depending upon storage environments, damp and mould can affect the palatability and structure of the poison baits, which can mean they are unstable, unsafe and unsuitable to be distributed aerially via the helicopter hoppers.
To summarise some of our findings:
• In August 1996, over 12 tonnes of unwanted highly toxic 1080 poison baits were buried in a purpose-dug pit in a managed landfill site at Winton, central Southland. Weeks after the burial, toxic 1080 was still present in some of the groundwater samples (despite unreliable testing methodology).
• 66 tonnes of 1080 poison baits, originally intended for Makarora aerial pest control operation (2015) were unused because of the poor weather. The spoiled poison baits were sent to a Manawatu-Whanganui landfill site (Probably Marton).
• A storage shed in Haast was swamped during recent flooding, and the rising river water damaged over 16 tonnes of toxic 1080 bait. This week, that poison has been buried at…you guessed it, Marton.
• In February 2018, 600kgs of 1080 poison baits was transported from the Whitianga storage site (within a residential area) to a North Auckland landfill.
• Also in 1996, in Whanganui (near the 1080 poison factory) 61 tonnes of 1080 poison cereal bait was buried in a shallow, unlined hole at the landfill site, now known as Balgownie Reserve. Tragically, this area was previously a precious wetland of historical and cultural significance. A primary school is situated next door.
Ignorance
There are many other stories waiting to be exposed. Meanwhile, none of New Zealand’s authorities adheres to international guidelines on toxic waste disposal, including the requirement to monitor community health in these areas. And concerns are repeatedly raised about potential harmful affects from the storage, disposal and aerial distribution of 1080 poison.
In the USA and in Europe, authorities are waking-up to their responsibilities to citizens. New funding is being provided to enable the costly clean-up of old toxic dump sites, and this involves specialists digging up the hazardous waste and disposing of it safely. Public health is a priority.
It’s bad enough to distribute tonnes of 1080 poison baits over thousands of hectares—66 tonnes of the poison baits could kill or seriously harm almost the whole population of New Zealand. It’s another thing however to dump this amount of lethally toxic substance into one shallow hole. What impact could a highly concentrated amount of this toxic chemical have on the health of nearby, unknowing, small communities?
When is the New Zealand Government going to face up to the magnitude of our ongoing soil and water contamination, stop the dumping of hazardous waste and start the crucial clean-up operations?
© “It’s bad enough to distribute tonnes of 1080 poison baits over thousands of hectares”
I am at a loss for words. Apart from the dumper (DOC), the “dumpee” – the local council – should not be accepting the dumping of poison. Gosh, “Rangitikei Watch” types people do a great job whistle-blowng. All power to them.
https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/more-on-the-disposal-of-1080-in-our-landfills/
We all have been told to wake up but there is one body who has been asleep for a long time now and all New Zealand is asking them to wake up to the damage they are doing by dumping 1080. DOC stands for Departments Out of Control and they are surely living up to their name. If 1080 killed humanely it would be Ok but it doesn’t. How anyone could be so cruel to spread this stuff is beyond me. Those who commit crimes to humanity are all being bought to justice and these people are right in there.
Nothing surprises me where money & poison meet in distribution or disposal.
In this day and age of awakenment .. on so many issues where humanity is having a devastating impact on our planet .. the days of Aerial 1080 are surely over?
Of course, if you use as much of this evil poison as we do here in New Zealand (something like 95% of the entire amount used on the whole planet) .. it’s going to end up where it’s not supposed to be.
And given that it kills everything that consumes oxygen .. that’s mammals, birds, reptiles .. vertebrates and invertebrates .. introduced and native .. target and non-target species alike .. it’s an environmental catastrophe of monumental proportions …
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve added a link above. Here are links to similar at the site
https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/?s=1080+landfills
Will the truth about 1080 scam ever come out?
The media is compliant to government.
What is terrible is the DOC scientists know of research such as Wendy Ruscoe 2007 who showed after 1080, surviving rats explode back and after 4 years are 3-4 times original numbers. DOC is so dishonest.
What s wrong with Rangitikei council that it allows a toxin to be dumped at the landfill?
Oh I forgot, 1080 is bio-degradable says DOC and the Forest and Bird Society Yeah right!