Effective management of hazardous substances throughout their lifecycle is necessary to avoid adverse health effects from either direct exposure or environmental contamination.
Toi Te Ora Public Health is involved in the prevention of injuries from exposures to hazardous substances. Designated Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act Enforcement Officers enforce the Act in respect of hazardous substances in public places.
Toi Te Ora Public Health role also relates to situations where, not withstanding other agencies' responsibilities, there is a need to protect public health. Health Protection Officers provide information and advice to the public on hazardous substances including:
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Lead and lead poisoning
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Mercury
If you believe you have been affected, either directly or indirectly by a hazardous substance or chemical you should:
1. For treatment
- Ring the Poison centre hotline on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766).
- Go and see your GP – they may report your incident to the Medical Officer of Health via a system known as the Hazardous Substances Disease and Injury Reporting Tool (HSDIRT) as a result of this notification you may receive a phone call from a Health Protection Officer seeking further information.
2. For prevention or investigation
There are a variety of Government agencies that are involved with hazardous substances – it is best if you speak to the lead agency for your area of concern.
If appropriate the lead agency will notify the Public Health service and it will be recorded in HSDIRT.
This table gives some guidance:
| Location/type of issue | Lead agency |
| Hazardous substances in a workplace | WorkSafe NZ Ph: 0800 030 040 |
| Hazardous substances in air, on water or land, e.g. spray drift | Bay of Plenty Regional Council Ph: 0800 884 880 Waikato Regional Council Ph: 0800 800 401 |
| Hazardous substances on roads | NZ Police Ph: *555 |
| Hazardous substances in buildings that are not workplaces | Local councils |
| Hazardous substances in food or imported items | Ministry for Primary Industries Ph: 0800 693 721 |
| Other | Toi Te Ora Public Health Ph: 0800 221 555 |
Resources
- Guidelines for the management of lead-based paint
- Removing lead-based paint
- The environmental case management of lead-exposed persons
- Cleaning up mercury spills in your house
- Lead poisoning
- Dioxin - Questions and answers
- Dioxin and health
- Agrichemical spraydrift
- How to stay safe with gardening products
- Hazardous waste - a guide to disposal
Updated 21 Nov, 2023