Gunns: getting the facts straight ...

As an everyday comparison, the concentration of dioxins and furans in the effluent is approximately 100 times lower than the concentration in human breast milk (PDF 498KB).

One of the three scientists even confirms that dioxin is not detectable in modern ECF pulp mills by quoting a Swedish research paper with an English version Executive Summary (PDF 2.26MB).

This report shows that the 19 ECF mills and two TCF mills, out of the 47 pulp mills of all types listed in Sweden, emit less than 0.1g TEQ per year. The estimate of less than 0.1g is based on similar methodology as that used to estimate the Tasmanian pulp mill effluent, by using the detection limit and applying it to the proportion of effluent attributable to the bleaching plants compared to total effluent.

While this might be advanced high school maths, you don’t need a PhD in mathematics to know the Tasmanian pulp mill’s effluent will be safe.

The form letters and the scientists’ reports are also based upon claims that the flow and dispersal of effluent will affect marine life including fish, lobster, abalone, scallop, and sharks. While these claims ignore where commercial fish are caught (PDF 560KB) they are also based on a photograph of Nye Beach (PDF 500KB) Oregon that has been interpreted by one of the three scientists.

The claim based on this photograph is that “the pollution will in fact reach the beach and disperse into Commonwealth waters, and into the rich fish-breeding grounds of the Tamar Estuary”. Yet even a cursory look will reveal that it is two photos joined together, likely to be taken on different days with different wind, current, sun and cloud positioning, as well as different textures to the photograph. The discoloration could be caused by a number of natural causes, and as there are no longitude or latitude references, just how accurate is the plotting of the (red coloured) effluent pulp line?

Amazingly not even the Commonwealth’s consultants who were checking these claims pointed out that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fully investigated claims of effluent hitting this beach. The local media reported that the DEQ found (PDF 779KB):

DEQ officials said they had no evidence the discharge endangers human health or marine life, and determined that while winds might push the effluent toward shore, “the dilution will be so great that pollutants will be well below water quality criteria prior to reaching the surf zone.” DEQ found no risk to people swimming at Nye Beach.

Yet this evidence was not believed by Surfriders.org who provided the photograph to the scientist without providing the DEQ report.

A third nail in the professional integrity coffin is that the Nye Beach sewerage outfall is on the surf line within 800m of the pulp mill’s diffuser. A fact not revealed to either the Commonwealth or concerned email clickers.

Another concern raised is odour, claimed to damage human amenity and other industries such as tourism. The scientists rely upon an “expert” currently employed by Ensis, a joint venture with CSIRO. This individual was a member of the RPDC assessment panel before choosing to resign after allegations of bias were made against him by the Greens political party.

In an astounding move the Ensis employee is now speaking out against the Tasmanian mill as a private individual, claiming that CSIRO has allowed him to express his personal expert views without sanction.