Chemical Time Bomb
A terrifying look at how herbicides used by the Australian government decimated its employees, left children and partners critically ill and how they may still be on the market.
245T and 24D are two of the most toxic weed killers ever known and more commonly associated with Agent Orange. Yet in some countries, like Australia it's become clear that while 245T has been banned, some herbicides currently being sold contain 24D and have levels of dioxin, which could pose a potential health risk. This chilling doc digs into the Australian situation, revealing the terrible legacy of deaths and deformities that 245T has left and raises alarm bells about the toxins present in modern-day herbicides.
"Everybody got rashes, headaches, they were vomiting and passing blood", says Carl Drysdale, a former sprayer. Assured by the government that it was safe, it was common for Australian workers in the 60s and 70s to use toxic herbicides without using proper protective clothing. Since then a terrifyingly high number of these former government employees have died or become seriously ill, almost certainly as a result of their constant exposure to dioxin, a deadly chemical impurity found in herbicide 245T.
With successive governments failing to deal with the problem or pay compensation, children and partners of former sprayers also believe they have been affected. "I've had some really awful things happen which were really unusual. A baby born without a brain, a baby born without kidneys", says Dr Rod Guy.
Although 245T has now been banned, a lack of regulation and testing of cheap imports means potentially deadly levels of the dioxin may still be present in weed control products today.
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