An increase in birth defects in New Plymouth during the 60s
and 70s was not a result of dioxin exposure, a Ministry of
Health (MoH) report says.
A herbicide which contained dioxin and used extensively to
control gorse was manufactured in New Plymouth between 1962
and 1987.
"There has been longstanding community concern over the
possibility of health effects, including birth defects, on
the local population from its manufacture between 1962 and
1987 at the former Ivon Watkins-Dow (IWD) chemical plant in
Paritutu, New Plymouth," the report released yesterday says.
The report compared birth defect data compiled by a midwife
at Westown Maternity Hospital in New Plymouth between 1965-71
with reports published at the time from hospitals nationwide.
The report, Birth Defects in the New Plymouth district, said
there was a high rate of birth defects during that time, "but
not at levels substantially different from other parts of the
country".
When New Plymouth's birth defect rates were at their highest
between 1965-71 there was no difference between spina bifida
- a birth defect linked to dioxin exposure - in New Plymouth
and nationwide, the report said.
Epidemiologist and birth defects monitoring programme
director Barry Borman, who completed the report with Deborah
Read for Massey University's Centre for Public Health
Research, said New Plymouth was not statistically different
from data collected nationwide,
New Plymouth had a higher number of reported congenital
dislocation of the hips and club feet.
But, Dr Borman said the research team beleived that could be
explained by there being a programme in place in the region
which screened and reported these particular birth defects.
There were a number of variables which contributed to the
anomalies in the data, he said, "we were given no indication
where the mothers conceived, for example".
"The rate [of birth defects] wasn't significantly different
from what's been reported in other areas."
A report was completed in 2002 investigating the possible
links between neural tube defects with dioxin exposure during
1965-71.
It concluded it was not possible from present data to link
neural tube defects to any particular cause.
(Seeking comment from anti-dioxin campaigners)
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