Notable case, Sydney (Rhodes / Homebush Bay), New South Wales, Australia
Homebush Bay
A bay on the Parramatta River, 13 km west of central Sydney, contaminated with dioxins by the Union Carbide chemical plant at Rhodes, where Agent Orange was among the products. It is known because the land beside it hosted the 2000 Olympic Games.
At a glance
- Status
- Remediated
- Media
- sediment, soil, living organisms
- Kind of site
- chemical works, landfill, agrochemicals
Contaminants
Metals
Status
Remediated
The clean-up of the bay, begun in 2008 and completed in mid-2010, removed about 75% of the dioxins from the sediments. Fishing in the bay is still prohibited (Wikipedia, read in 2026).
Story
On the shore of the bay Union Carbide made chemicals, including Agent Orange. Dioxins, a by-product of the process, were buried in landfill or left in drums, and reached the bay's sediments. Besides dioxins, phthalates, lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT and other heavy metals have been found there.
Contamination of fish led to a ban on fishing in the bay, still in force, and to restrictions on commercial fishing in most of Sydney Harbour. Remediation of the sediments and of the former plant's land began in 2008 and was completed in mid-2010; it removed about three quarters of the dioxins in the bay. The sources read do not describe the technique used or the volumes treated.
Timeline
- 2008Remediation of the bay begins.
- 2010Remediation completed mid-year: about 75% of the dioxins removed.
Remediation
- 2008sediment and soil remediationRemediation of the bay sediments and the former plant's land (2008–2010); technique not described in the source read.
- —fishing banBan on fishing in the bay, still in force.
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Cucurbita pepoZucchini, pumpkinDDT and breakdown productsDioxins and furansEvidence: field
- Ricinus communisCastor beanDDT and breakdown productsEvidence: field
- Agrostis capillarisCommon bentEvidence: field
- Cannabis sativaIndustrial hempEvidence: field
- Festuca rubraRed fescueEvidence: field
- Robinia pseudoacaciaBlack locustEvidence: field
Fungi
- Funneliformis mosseaePolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: greenhouse
- Agaricus bisporusButton mushroomPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
- Phanerochaete chrysosporiumDDT and breakdown productsDioxins and furansEvidence: laboratory
- Bjerkandera adustaSmoky bracketPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
- Cladosporium sphaerospermumPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
- Cunninghamella elegansPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsEvidence: laboratory
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Sources
- Homebush Bay, Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.