Green guerillas have declared a trade war on Bermuda, furious Tourism Minister David Dodwell claimed last night.

And he said the picketing of the New York and Boston Department of Tourism offices by Greenpeace activists protesting at Government plans to dump tons of asbestos at sea could hurt "every man, woman and child in Bermuda''.

He was speaking after small groups demonstrated outside the two US tourism offices yesterday afternoon.

Demonstrators wore dust masks and placards demanding Bermuda axe its plans to dump containers full of the deadly dust 18 miles offshore.

Mr. Dodwell said: "This is going to have an impact on every man, woman and child in Bermuda.

"It's a trade war -- and it could well affect tourism and result in less people coming here.'' Greenpeace activists today denied their demonstrators had asked for a boycott of the Island by visitors.

But Mr. Dodwell said he had seen a leaflet handed out in Boston which urged a boycott.

He added Greenpeace had apologised for the leaflet and said they had made a mistake.

A spokesman for the New England Greenpeace office, which organised the Boston protest, admitted some boycott leaflets had been handed out.

"We did not intend to call for a boycott -- the leaflets were a mistake and were withdrawn,'' he said.

He added it was not Greenpeace's intention to hurt Bermuda -- but that the group were determined to stop the dumping.

And he warned: "We would hope that the use of demonstrations and protests would persuade the Bermudian Government not to dump the asbestos at sea.

"But we would not rule out any non-violent tactics at all to convince the government in Bermuda that this is a really bad idea.'' Paul Clark of the New York office backed his New England colleague and said calls for a boycott had not been made at the New York demonstration.

He added: "It was a small demonstration -- but it went very well. A lot of people stopped and read the signs. We got quite a lot of attention from passers-by.'' But Mr. Dodwell said: "If you are picketing, what you're saying to people is don't go to Bermuda.

"That has major significance for a country which depends very heavily on tourism.'' He added: "I want to express my very strong dismay at this action -- especially when Government has not yet made a decision on whether to go ahead with the dumping.

Tourism offices picketed "We are still considering our options and the dumping of asbestos at sea is a last, last resort.'' The news came as some Bermudians claimed they were backing Greenpeace and would take direct action on their own if the barge earmarked to carry the massive containers of asbestos put to sea.

Greenpeace activist Kenny Bruno, currently in Bermuda, said the boycott call was not deliberate and probably prepared by a sympathiser, not a Greenpeace activist.

But he said: "I do think this is dangerous for Bermuda's image -- but that is not the same as calling for a boycott.'' He added that Denmark's Minister for the Environment had written to Bermuda's Environment Minister Pam Gordon and to UK Environment Minister John Selwyn Gummer to protest against any sea dumping.

Enviroment Minister Pamela Gordon could not be contacted for comment last night.

But she said on Tuesday that Government was still exploring other options on what to do with the asbestos.

She added, however, that contingency plans to deal with the waste had to be made in case Government could find no other alternative.

Asbestos can cause specific kinds of cancer if breathed in. There are 165 container loads awaiting disposal in Bermuda, mostly taken from private and public buildings after the health risks of the mineral were revealed.

Government says the material is only dangerous when airborne and is chemically and biologically inert, so it would be safe to dump it in deep water.

But some scientists claim the effects of asbestos on the marine enviroment have not been fully explored -- and that Bermuda's bid to dump the mineral at sea could open the gates for other countries and other substances.

Reuter PROTEST SPREADS -- Greenpeace supporters picket the Department of Tourism's Madison Avenue, New York offices yesterday to protest Government's plans to dump 165 containers of asbestos off the Island. Protestors also picketed outside the Department's Boston offices.