The revelations, aired on the ABC’s Australia Story over the last couple of weeks, say a toxin produced by plantations of Eucalyptus Nitens (Shining gums) have contaminated the George River which provides water to the township of St Helens.

Painstaking research by local GP Dr Alison Bleaney and Sydney based marine scientist Dr Marcus Scammell has identified the contaminated water as responsible for devestating losses in the local oyster industry and possible links to elevated incidences of obscure cancers in the town population.

Following these allegations former Labour party Minister for Forests, Robert Belcher, has called on all political parties to support his call for an independent Inquiry into the toxic effects of the state’s Eucalyptus Niten plantations.

He said a 30 year breeding program to improve E.nitens yields meant these lines now make up 75 per cent of Forestry Tasmania eucalyptus plantations.

With a value in the billions of dollars these now cover 300,000 hectares of the State and are found in 44 of Tasmania’s 48 catchments.

They have also been sold to plantation projects in other states and overseas.

Mr Belcher said the Inquiry was necessary because the toxins from these hybrid trees deny people across Tasmania their rights to safe drinking water, a claim detailed on the ABC program on Monday February 22.

Mr Belcher said parallel investigations by the EPA division of the Department of Primary Industry, Parks, Water and Environment concluded incorrectly that the toxin occurs naturally and was produced by native forests.

He said the director of Public Health had failed to keep his office informed of the results from independent studies conducted by Dr Bleaney and Dr Scammell.

“We believe an Integrity Commission Inquiry would more likely uncover all the facts of this situation than a royal commission where the terms of reference are set by government.”

The apparent link between plantation eucalypts and toxic water supplies has served to counter earlier fears that water quality was being affected by chemicals sprayed to control plantation weeds and pests.

The findings on water quality and the likely extent of this problems could have significant implications for the state’s food industries and might also hinder further development of irrigation schemes planned for the north of the state.