Xstrata denies a link, the NT Government keeps us in the dark.

This story just keeps getting bigger

Mine denies link to flesh-eating disease
From the ABC, The World Today - Thursday, 1 March , 2007  12:38:00
Reporter: Danielle Parry
ELIZABETH JACKSON: The owners of the Northern Territory’s McArthur River Mine is on the Gulf of Carpentaria say there’s no evidence to connect their zinc operation with a rare flesh eating disease that’s killed four people in the area in the past six years.

Two tropical disease experts have published an article in the British Medical Journal drawing a potential link between high levels of heavy metals in the region’s waterways and elevated levels of flesh eating bacteria.

All of those who died had been either fishing or swimming in the local waterways.

But Northern Territory Health authorities say more research is needed to establish if there’s a definitive link between pollution and the infection rate.

Danielle Parry reports from Darwin

DANIELLE PARRY: The McArthur River zinc and lead mine on the Gulf of Carpentaria is one of the most controversial in the Northern Territory.

It recently won approval from the Territory and Federal Governments to expand its operations, requiring the diversion of five and a half kilometres of the adjacent McArthur River.

Now an article in a British Medical Journal has detailed four cases of a rare flesh eating disease that’s hit people who’ve come into contact with waterways in the McArthur River area since 2000.

It includes graphic images of blackened limbs killed by the bacteria that occurs naturally in tropical waters.

The report was co-authored by tropical disease expert Dr Bart Currie and says two men died and another Victorian man had his leg amputated after fishing in the region.

A 19-year-old woman also died 24 hours after going swimming.

The Territory’s Chief Health Officer, Doctor Tarun Weeramanthri says another person also died from the disease after the report was published.

The article says zinc and lead levels downstream from the mine are twice what they are upstream and it’s possible the metals could increase the risk of human infection.

But Doctor Weeramanthri says it’s too early to say whether there’s a definitive link between the infection rate and elevated heavy metal levels in the area.

TARUN WEERAMANTHRI: There’s some detail in the report about possible levels of heavy metal in the water but they’re actually not taken from the estuary areas where the vibrio infections occurred.

So there’s a speculative link made between the environmental conditions in the region and the vibrio infections but essentially it’s too early to tell.

DANIELLE PARRY: Dianne McDougall is an expert from the University of New South Wales.

She says until now the disease has been linked with eating seafood containing the bacteria but more work is needed to establish whether there’s a connection between the disease and open wounds coming into contact with contaminated water.

DIANNE MCDOUGALL: There has been no proven link between high levels of metals in the water and wound infections however. I agree that’s something that needs to be investigated further before we try to make that link. But it is related to the ingestion type infection.

DANIELLE PARRY: The Territory Health Department says it’s already launched a campaign to tell people around the community of Borroloola about the possible risks.

Dr Tarun Weeramanthri says some people have been told they should stay out of the water.

TARUN WEERAMANTHRI: Don’t go in if you’ve got open abrasions or cuts on your legs and cooking all seafood, not eating raw oysters or other shellfish which can also transmit this family of diseases

DANIELLE PARRY: But the head of Borroloola’s Mubuji Aboriginal Resource Centre, Frazer Baker says the first the community knew of the deaths was when they were in the news this morning.

FRAZER BAKER: It’s a shock, it’s not communication what I see, especially health wise.

DANIELLE PARRY: He says the Centre’s managed to get some information off the Internet, but people need to know what’s going on.

FRAZER BAKER: I’ve lived here all me life and you know like, ate the fish out of the river and now the river’s in flood, I mean where is it at the end of the day that, could be one of us you know.

DANIELLE PARRY: McArthur River Mining says the article does not and cannot say there is a link between its mining operations and the Vibrio inflections.

In a statement the company describes the report as highly speculative and containing inaccuracies and says there’s no evidence of heavy metal pollution by the mine.

ELLIZABETH JACKSON: Danielle Parry reporting from Darwin.

NT Govt probe (hide?) cases of flesh-eating disease

This is a significant public and environmental health issue. Can we expect an appropriate response or has Xstrata already convinced the NT Government that an unprofitable mine is more important than human and environmental health.

I have lots of questions, can anyone answer them? Clare, John…

If this was known last year why didn’t the NT Government or Xstrata release the information as part of the mining assessment? Granted it may have been in the public domain, but shouldn’t we be able to rely on our own Government to be transparent?

Did Clare Martin know about this, if so, why wasn’t an investigation commenced last year?

Did Senator Campbell know about this before he approved the mine?

Is this how John Howard defines ’environmentally sustainable fashion’? 

Will it affect the aquatic organisms in the river and the Gulf of Carpentaria?

What do you think?
(from the ABC, again) The Northern Territory’s chief health officer says further research will be conducted into a potential link between flesh-eating bacteria and high zinc levels in the McArthur River.

The Northern Territory Department of Health says four people in six years have been killed by a rare bacteria infection in the Gulf of Carpentaria region.

An article in a British medical journal published last year draws a potential link between high levels of zinc in the McArthur River and an increase in the vibrio flesh-eating bacteria.

Chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri says after the Department received the report last year, signs were put up in the area to warn people of the danger.

“There are sporadic cases year to year which are to be expected in terms of the number of severe cases of this involving skin and soft tissue infection and blood infection that was of particular concern to us when we were made aware of it,” he said.

McArthur River Mining general manager Brian Hearne has put out a statement saying the article is highly speculative about the role heavy metals in the water may play in the infections.

Mr Hearne says the article contains some factual inaccuracies that have been addressed with the authors and publishers.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1860221.htm

Xstrata quick to deny link between mine pollution and flesh-eating disease

Xstrata has been very quick to deny the link with the mine, do you trust them? 

Xstrata denies link to flesh-eating disease (from the ABC)
The company that owns the MacArthur River Mine has rejected any link to a flesh-eating disease that has killed three people who came into contact with river and seawater in the Borroloola region.

An article published in the British Journal of Infection has connected high levels of heavy metals in the region with the disease.

The article, written by Top End tropical disease specialist Dr Bart Currie, cites four cases of the disease over the past seven years.

In the first case in 2000, a 55-year-old man who went fishing in rivers near the Nathan River homestead contracted the disease and died two years later.

In May 2001, a 63-year-old man who fished off Vanderlin Island died 18 days later from the disease and in April 2003 a 38-year-old Victorian man had his leg amputated after fishing in the Wearyan River.

As well, a 19-year-old woman died 24 hours after swimming in one of the region’s waterways.

The article reported zinc and lead levels downstream from the mine are twice what they are upstream and that it is possible these levels could increase the risk of human infection from the disease.

Mine owner Xstrata say it is aware of the report but it does not link the mine to the cases.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1859905.htm

Deadly flesh-eating bacteria traced to NT river

Another story from ABC.
An article published in a British medical journal has found three people have died from flesh-eating bacteria after swimming in rivers in the Boorroola region, south-east of Darwin.

The report, written by Northern Territory tropical disease specialist, Dr Bart Currie, details four cases that were detected over seven years from 2000.

In each case, the patients’ legs were ravaged by a flesh-eating bacteria after coming into contact with rivers in the area, including the McArthur River.

In May 2001, a 63-year-old man died 18 days after his legs were exposed to the waters of the Weirian River while fishing.

In July 2000, a 55-year-old man also died two years after suffering a similar infection.

A 19-year-old woman died in the same area within 24 hours of contracting the disease after swimming in one of the rivers.

In 2003, a 38-year-old man with no medical history, had his lower left leg amputated after suffering a similar infection.

The report found high levels of zinc, lead and copper in the river down stream from the McArthur River mine.

The ABC contacted mine owner Xstrata, who says it is aware of the report but is unable to comment.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1859862.htm