Review after toxic scare

By Tania Martin
A MT DANDENONG man is concerned for the safety of his animals after metal and paint shavings from a nearby broadcast tower blew into his yard.
Geoff Wilton feared that the metal and paint shavings would be toxic to his dogs.
Mr Wilton said his wife first noticed the problem on Wednesday, 17 May, when she was working from home.
He said at the time there was intense noise coming from the television broadcast tower adjacent to their property.
Mr Wilton believes the metal shavings and paint have come from work that was being carried out on the broadcast tower.
After finding several shavings in his yard, Mr Wilton contacted Worksafe Victoria, the Shire of Yarra Ranges and several builders unions.
Mr Wilton said his main concern about the metal shavings and chips of paint found in his yard was the toxicity of the material.
He said the family dogs were being kept inside as he feared they would be seriously injured if they ingested the metal.
Michael Birt from WorkSafe Victoria said that the wind had blown the metal shavings from the tower where reinforcement work was being undertaken.
Mr Birt said it was unusual for the metal shavings to travel to nearby properties as they normally drop straight to the ground, but that in this case the wind had picked them up and blown them across the road to Mr Wilton’s residence.
“Normally if they are doing reinforcement work on a tower, they tend not to work in strong winds,” he said.
He said the broadcast company had been asked to test the metal and the paint chips to make sure they were not toxic.
Mr Birt said the company had also been asked to develop future procedures so that metal shavings don’t fall into nearby residences.