Providing advice and information on hazardous substances

Effective management of hazardous substances throughout their lifecycle is necessary to avoid adverse health effects from either direct exposure or environmental contamination. Community and Public Health’s role relates to situations where there exists a need to protect public health, not withstanding other agencies’ responsibilities.

Contact your local Community and Public Health office for information and advice on hazardous substances including:

• Asbestos;
• Lead and lead poisoning; and
• Vertebrate toxic agents (VTAs).

Under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act, other agencies also have substantial hazardous substances roles and responsibilities including:

• WorkSafe NZ is responsible for ensuring that the provisions of the Act are enforced in any workplace. They are a division of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
• Councils are responsible for ensuring that the provisions of the Act are enforced in or on any premises situated in their district, other than those premises specified in section 97 HSNO Act as being the responsibility of another agency.

Get additional information about hazardous substances and the HSNO legislation (NZ Environmental Protection Authority or EPA)

Find out more about issuing permissions for Vertebrate toxic agents, including the application form (Ministry of Health).

Download or order hazardous substances resources from the Community Health Information Centre.

Looking at the hazardous effects of radiation

The National Centre for Radiation Science is the lead public health agency for radiation issues. Community and Public Health also carries out some activities, including:

• responding to inquiries and complaints;
• reviewing resource consent applications relating to ionising and non-ionising radiation; and
• responding to radiation emergencies if necessary.

Ionising radiation is radiation which has sufficient energy to knock electrons out of (ionise) atoms. X-rays and gamma rays are types of ionising radiation, as are the particulate radiations of alpha and beta particles that are found in some types of nuclear decay. Ionising radiation is what the general public regards as ‘radioactive’.

Non-ionising radiation includes electromagnetic fields in the form of extremely low frequency fields, visible light (including lasers), microwave (including microwave ovens and cell-phone transmissions), radiofrequency fields, ultra violet and infrared.

Get further advice and information on radiation from one of the following links:

• National Centre for Radiation Science.
• Ministry of Health.

Documents

• Radiation: Harnessing it safely to benefit our daily lives (Royal Society Te Apārangi 2022).
• Guidelines for Issuing Permissions for Vertebrate Toxic Agents (Ministry of Health 2022).
• Review of health response into Waikouaiti water supply lead contamination (Ministry of Health 2021).
• The Environmental Case Management of Lead-exposed Persons (Ministry of Health 2021).
• Exposures to radiofrequency fields near 5G cellsites (Ministry of Health 2020).
• The Code of Practice for the Security of Radioactive Material (Ministry of Health 2020).
• HSNO Monitoring Report 2018 (Environmental Protection Authority NZ 2019).

• All About Asbestos: Protecting your health at home (Ministry of Health 2019).
• Removing Asbestos from the Home (Ministry of Health 2019).
• Interagency Committee on the Health Effects of Non-Ionising Fields: Report to Ministers 2015 (Ministry of Health).
• Guidelines for the management of lead-based paint (Ministry of Health 2013).
• Electric and Magnetic Fields and Your Health (Ministry of Health 2013).
• Environmental standards for telecommunication facilities in your neighbourhood (Ministry for the Environment 2008).

Links

• Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
• National Centre for Radiation Science (formerly National Radiation Laboratory).

Asbestos advice for Christchurch householders

WorkSafe NZ has been investigating the testing and management of asbestos during repair work carried out in homes in Christchurch following the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.

• Visit the Asbestos Aware website to help understand the risks associated with asbestos and how these are best managed.
• Find answers to some common questions about potential health risks of asbestos for homeowners (Ministry of Health).
• Download “All About Asbestos: Protecting your health at home” (Ministry of Health 2019).
• Download “Removing Asbestos from the Home” (Ministry of Health 2019).