The Maritime Union is calling on what they describe as ‘poisonous ports' to stop releasing methyl bromide emissions into the air.

Tauranga is among the ports the union says need to change, after the Port of Auckland decided to fully recapture the toxic gas after fumigation.

Methyl bromide, linked to motor neurone disease and harmful to the ozone layer, is used to kill insects in logs before export.

MUNZ National Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the decision is an example of what publicly owned ports can deliver, if and when they prioritize community interests.

'We will continue the campaign to stop rogue employers exposing people to methyl bromide for another decade if need be,” says Joe.

'Eliminating the risk from our ports and communities will save lives.”

After fumigation is complete, the gas can be recaptured and turned into a disposable salt. However, some ports instead release the toxic fumes into the air, potentially endangering workers and nearby communities.

Maritime Union members working in New Zealand ports that use the fumigant have voiced serious concerns, fearing their employers are not taking health and safety seriously around methyl bromide.

In the Port of Tauranga there is a 200 metre buffer zone put in place during cruise ships visits to protect the tourists.

Port workers, by contrast, are expected to conduct ‘normal operations' as close as five metres away from the toxic gas.

A union member in Tauranga reports being told the logs are ‘safe enough to lick'.

MUNZ members describe coughing, light headedness and nasal congestion during gas release, despite being told they were out of range and in no danger of exposure.

The union believes unnecessary rivalry between publicly-owned ports is undermining best practice standards, and driving a race to the bottom in the industry.

'The government must not allow best practice in some ports to be undermined elsewhere,” says Joe.

'If Wellington and Auckland can do the right thing, all ports must.”

He says the Maritime Union continues to call for a total ban on the use of methyl bromide.

The Green party is also applauding the Port of Auckland's decision.

'Following an Environment Court decision in Tauranga pointing to the non-compliance of the fumigator there, the Port of Auckland is doing the right thing, putting the safety of people and the environment first,” says Green Party spokesperson Steffan Browning.

"Other ports need to follow suit. Ports in Napier, Tauranga and Whangarei have very limited recapture going on and that puts people working at the port and living nearby at risk of exposure.”

A Port of Tauranga spokesperson says the port is working closely with regulators to ensure methyl bromide is used safely.

'We support initiatives currently in place that increase recapture levels.”