QLD; Water may have been used instead of pesticide in scam

AAP General News (Australia)
12-18-1999
QLD; Water may have been used instead of pesticide in scam

BRISBANE, Dec 18 AAP - The foundations of more then 5,000 new homes in Brisbane may
have been sprayed with water instead of pesticide, according to the state's building watchdog.

The Courier Mail newspaper said allegations had been made against a pest controller,
claiming he sold pesticides on the black market and substituted water for the toxin.

Building Services Authority (BSA) general manager Matt Miller said he had received
an affidavit on the issue from the Forest Lake Termite Action Group.

He said BSA officers would meet with the pest controller's company to take soil tests
on some of the houses implicated in the claim, the paper said.

It is estimated that the pest controller could have treated between 5,100 and 6,400
new homes in the nine years he has worked with the company, the paper said.

AAP ch/cdh

KEYWORD: PESTICIDE

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