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Apr
12
It seems that temporary accommodation provided for the workers in the Howard governments Northern Territory intervention policy have been unduly exposed to formaldehyde.
A Chinese company supplied the units, containers and used a glue which contained formaldehyde. In the harsh heat of the NT this has led to fumes emitting from the glue and workers reporting symptoms such as extreme headaches when sleeping in the units.
Formaldehyde which has in past used as a insecticide has led to birth defects before it was banned. Defects such as missing limbs and intellectual problems. Formaldehyde research has also led to it being classified as a carcinogen – a cancer causing agent.
Approximately fifty staff have been exposed to the contaminated containers and Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has advised staff to sleep in their swags until further notice.
There have been calls for Intervention chief Major General David Chalmers to resign after the incident however I don’t feel this is something that could’ve been predicted, foreseen and avoided.