New Zealand: Soldiers may have been negligently exposed to asbestos

Palmerston North, New Zealand - The Army will be launching an investigation into whether some of its soldiers were put at risk for asbestos exposure during one training exercise.

During the exercise, which took place on May 13 at the former Longburn freezing works in Palmerston North, soldiers used a building that had been condemned by the Manawatu District Council. Last October, the council had served Aotearoa Cool Stores Ltd, the site's owner, a dangerous building notice and ordered that the building be demolished due to the release of asbestos during a fire that occurred there.

Aside from the asbestos, the council also deemed that parts of the building were structurally unstable.

A Department of Labour official said last year that asbestos in asbestos-containing products that were located in the vicinity of the fire crumbled easily, which created a risk for the deadly fibers to become released.

Colonel Tim Keating said yesterday that the New Zealand Army considers asbestos a serious health hazard and will be conducting an investigation to determine the level of risk its soldiers may have faced.

The Army has cancelled all planned future activities at the site and is looking for new locations to conduct its exercises.

The Manawatu District Council said it was unaware of that the Army was conducting it urban training at the Longburn site. The council said it would be launching its own investigation into the matter and said it was the site owner's responsibility to alert the Army of the danger.

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