Concerned Citizens to Stop Cyanide Freight Trains |
from 6 pm Thursday 24 May 2007 Concerned local citizens will be out to stop south bound Pacific National freight trains on the rail near Urunga next Thursday night. They will be wanting to hear from the drivers how much sodium cyanide they are carrying. "We want to know how much and how often the cyanide passes through the towns and waterways of the NSW north coast", said Cyanide Watch organiser, Graeme Dunstan. At this time neither the maker of the cyanide, Orica, the transporter, Pacific National, nor the approver of its transport as a Dangerous Good, the NSW Minister for Planning, are being forthcoming. The reasons given are national security and commercial confidence. See http://www.peacebus.com/CyanideWatch/070417ToxicEvasions.html "Not good enough," says Dunstan. "How can local people plan for an emergency response if the magnitude of the hazard they face is kept secret?" "We want the facts, so we intend to stop the freight trains and ask the drivers direct." Cyanide is a deadly poison that is used in huge quantities by the gold mining industry. Most of the cyanide used in Australia is made by Orica Australia Ltd at its plant in Gladstone, rail freighted to Sydney and then west to the far flung gold mines. "Contrary to the claims of the gold miners, cyanide spills are common and often disastrous," said Mr Dunstan. "Local people and their waterways are effected by these spills and it is local people who are called upon to clean them up." For example on 14 January 2007, a cyanide spill was the consequence of a derailment at Euabalong West, which is in the Lachlan valley west of Condobolin. There was no NSW Government or media reporting of this spill at the time. It only became public when the volunteers who cleaned it up reported it in The Bushfire Bulletin, the Journal of the NSW Rural Fire Service. http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/file_system/attachments/State/Attachment_20070404_BA2E340A.pdf Dunstan said that because the freight time table is unknown, the Urunga cyanide blockade will take the form of a lantern lit vigil by the rail and a community meeting of people interested to defend local water ways from toxic spills. "Bring lanterns, bring food and beverage to share,"
More information Report on the Chullora Cyanide blockade, 2 May 2007. Report on the Kyogle Cyanide freight train blockade, 22 March 2007 . |
