9 Apr 2018

NZ's firefighting foam tests inadequate - UK expert

From Morning Report, 6:45 am on 9 April 2018

A leading authority on firefighting foam contamination says New Zealand might well have to test contamination zones all over again if the Defence Force hasn't been using the latest test. Defence has refused to say if it's using the new test, called Top Assay or TOPA which uncovers harmful but hidden foam chemicals. But the lab NZDF is using to test water samples from Auckland, Manawatu, Rangitikei, Marlborough and Canterbury does not do this test. Fire and Emergency New Zealand says it is not using this new test either. Dr Roger Klein is a leading British chemist who has majored since 2002 on the environmental impact of firefighting foams. He told RNZ reporter Phil Pennington if NZDF has not been using the new TOPA method it is detecting only the tip of the iceberg.