Chief Executive comment

As we near the middle of the year, we find ourselves as busy as ever with the usual programme of a few large projects that claim the limelight, such as the work being done on the reassessment of methyl bromide, and others that pass “under the radar’’ but are of great importance to the industries and organisations concerned.

The higher-profile projects feature in this issue of Perspective. The lower-profile ones, which are posted on our website and recorded in our monthly Bulletin, include much work that helps ensure the safety of our communities and advances New Zealand’s scientific knowledge.

For example, Victoria University of Wellington was granted approval for a project to study how native molluscs and echinoderms grow their shells. The researchers want to understand this process and the conditions under which it occurs, and perhaps eventually recreate it to produce material that could be used for human wellbeing, such as bone and teeth replacements.

More directly related to everyday life and work, our hazardous substances team will complete more than 60 “rapid’’ assessments this year, so-called because they are low risk.

One recent example was assessing and approving the first product of a new class of anthelmintic to counter parasite worms in farm animals. Parasite worms rapidly develop immunity to anthelmintics, which means that agrichemical companies have to regularly reformulate products. This product kills resistant parasites, while having a low toxicity profile, and so may be a useful addition to farmers’ options for treating animals with worms.

Added to this, we continue our work related to ensuring the safety (to themselves, and their neighbours) of industrial sites that manufacture, use, and store large quantities of flammable, explosive, and corrosive materials.