FPV hangs tough

John Mellor’s
GoAuto News
Pollution tests
Cleaning solvent could come back to haunt Holden
By RON HAMMERTON
HOUSES near Holden’s Elizabeth car
factory in South Australia are being
checked for traces of pollution from a toxic
industrial solvent that has contaminated
ground water under the plant after leaking
into the soil decades ago.
Traces of gas produced by the chemical
trichloroethene (TCE) – a cleaning and
degreasing solvent commonly used in
the 1960s and 1970s – have been found
two metres underground near the houses
by environmental consultants hired by
Holden, prompting checks to see if the
gas is leaking into the atmosphere.
More than 90 residents in an area next
to the Holden property have been asked
for permission for testing equipment to
be left on the properties for a few days
to check for traces of the gas in the
crawl space under their houses.
The checks are being made in
consultation with the South Australian
Environmental Protection Authority
(EPA), which has been kept informed of
research into the TCE pollution issue since
it was discovered in an environmental
audit of Holden’s factory in early 2011.
Back then, the EPA said the danger to
residents was low, but advised nearby
residents to stop using bore water.
Holden says the TCE could have
come from any one of a number of
industrial concerns in the area, but says
it is undertaking the checks as part of
its commitment to the local community.
TCE was regularly used to clean parts
and machinery for many years – and
is even said to be used to decaffeinate
coffee – but was discontinued due to
health issues, mostly minor problems
such as respiratory irritation and
dizziness, although scientists warned
of potential for more serious problems
such as elevated chances of certain
cancers and lower fertility in men.
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE
SERVICE ADVISOR – Canberra
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Aug 15, 2012 Page 22
Car companies check
social media protocols
By RON HAMMERTON
MOTOR companies are checking
their social media protocols after the
Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) warned that
large companies could face court
action under vilifi cation or consumer
protection laws if offensive or false
comments on pages such as Facebook
were not removed within 24 hours.
The warning by the ACCC came just
days after the Advertising Standards
Bureau ruled that social media pages
such as Facebook were a form of
advertising and therefore bound by the
same rules governing content.
A quick scan of such Facebook forums
this week turned up several comments
that might breach the advertising
code, including one describing a TV
advertisement by the car company as
“the gayest video ever”.
Ford Australia, which famously
highlighted Facebook in its television
commercials for its diesel Territory
SUV by fi lming an engineer setting out
to visit all her Facebook friends on one
tank of fuel, is one company that is reexamining
its social media controls.
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE
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matt_simpson@leaseplan.com.au