Qld: Union calls for disease registry

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2001
Qld: Union calls for disease registry

By Paul Osborne

BRISBANE, April 24 AAP - The postal union has called for a national registry of auto-immune
diseases, similar to that set up for cancer, in the wake of health concerns at a Brisbane
post office.

The call follows the addition of 10 names to a list of 20 postal workers with serious
illnesses, including cancer and auto-immune diseases, who attribute their health complaints
to working at the Capalaba Post Office in Brisbane's south-east.

Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) organiser Paul White, who has
backed worker fears that a neighbouring Energex substation or environmental factors may
have contributed to the illnesses, said a national registry of auto-immune diseases such
as lupus would be valuable.

"I can't see why that could not be achievable," he said.

"If we go back to the deep dark days when asbestosis was deemed as a disease that no-one
knew much about and we look at the results today, had the employers and unions been pro-active
... there would be a lot of people identified today that maybe slipped the net and could
have been tested for that.

"If you put that in the light of today's situation with EMR (electromagnetic radiation)
which is an unknown quantity, and it has been proven that radiation does put the immune
system on hold and when it is on hold you can pick up any little disease that is floating
around in the atmosphere ... there should be a national register in some shape or form."

The cause of lupus, and many other auto-immune diseases, remains unknown, but many
experts believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors contribute to
causing the disease.

Mr White said he expected results from soil, air and water testing around the post
office would be available by Friday.

The union has called for the post office to be closed while environmental testing and
a study by Queensland Health are conducted.

"If they can shed any light on early results that there is a trend there we will be
straight back to our members to make a decision one way or another," Mr White said.

He said 10 names had been added to former Capalaba postal worker Angie Adams' original
list of 20, which was passed on to Australia Post in February.

The original list included three counter workers and a cleaner who had died from cancer,
five with leukaemia-related diseases, five with cancer, six with non-curable auto-immune-related
diseases, one with cystitis and three with debilitating headaches.

Ms Adams left the post office in 1994 after being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease.

Australia Post has denied the post office is unsafe and declined to close it, but a
spokeswoman said the corporation was leaving "no stone unturned" in conducting tests.

AAP pjo/jhm/jas/sb

KEYWORD: POSTAL (CARRIED EARLIER)

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