Air Quality Blamed for Mass Death of Polo Ponies

A Biosecurity Australia investigation into the cause of death of 16 polo ponies after a ferry ride across Bass Strait this week has uncovered a new line of inquiry

"Sometimes you would come to work and there would be a blue haze in the cargo hold" claimed former Spirit of Tasmania ferry employee Mr Torren McMaster. " We reported it to Qube and the Maritime Workers Union but nothing was done to improve things," he went on.

In 2011 several reports were made about the air quality on the ship. "My wife would even say 'whats wrong with you.' when I would come home from work she would say my lips would be swollen and even blue at times.

McMaster a stevedore with the ferry line said that, many of his work mates had dizziness, headaches and had experienced the swollen lips.

  The level of carbon monoxide and diesel fumes is being looked into further as a possible cause for such a haze and as freight passage has increased on the ferry line in recent years.

The string of ponies involved were owned and managed by former Australian Polo Captain Andrew Williams who explains he and his ponies had travelled the Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry line 11 times before without incident.

The investigation continues.