Let Us Spray {Full version} Monday 23rd October 2006

New Zealand: TV3's Melanie Reid, the Investigative Reporter of the Year, 90-minute documentary entitled A TV3 Special Investigation: Let Us Spray

For decades, many New Zealanders have been convinced that their illnesses and those of their children were caused by exposure to this dioxin. Of most concern are the people of Paritutu, the New Plymouth suburb where for several decades the agrichemical company, Ivon Watkins Dow (IWD) made 245T and 24D.

Reid examined the many reported cases of birth defects in New Plymouth and around the country and discovered a doubling of birth defects coincided with the country's maximum exposure to the 245T dioxin.

She has also discovered documents pointing towards what appears to have been an unhealthy relationship between New Zealand's regulatory authorities and IWD.

Years after IWD had acknowledged that the dioxin was "exceptionally toxic", years after the company said "it has tremendous potential for producing chloracne and systemic injury", New Zealand's authorities were telling us "there is no reason to believe that 245T is a cause of human birth defects, cancer or any other insidious effect on human health." And "in fact there is absolutely no evidence linking 245T with any human birth defect."