Report on air pollution study to be released

Press, 12 May 1987, Page 8

Report on air pollution study to be released

The Health Department will release next week a “highly critical” report on the Canterbury United Council’s commissioned air pollution study. The report follows the department’s dissociation from the United Council’s study released six weeks ago.

According to the department the study was full of inconsistencies and its follow-up of the study would outline those errors.

According to the Medical Officer of Health in Christchurch, Dr Bill Malpress, the department’s report would be highly critical of study and the authors’ “faulty epidemiological assessments.” The

study was written by Dr Graeme Scott and Ms Lee Newman. . , “Our appraisal of the study is at the Government Printer now. A news media conference will be held to release the report because there has been a great deal of interest shown in the department’s dissociation of the ScottNewman report. “We have full backing from head office on our dissociation. It has seen the report, acknowledged there are obvious errors, and maintains, we are definitely still dissociating ourselves from it,” Dr Malpress said last evening.

The department’s principal air pollution control

officer in Wellington, Mr Roger Holden, also wrote to the United Council’s air pollution committee explaining that there was “good news and bad news” regarding the report.

His letter will be discussed at the next air pollution committee meeting tomorrow.

His letter said the ScottNewman report “attempts to generate alarm by supporting that the Christchurch situation represents other than a nuisance” and that was “amoral” and “detracts from the value of the report.”

The United Council has recommended that the letter be received.