It comes as no surprise when Lara Giddings says three out of every four Tasmanians suffer from a chronic health condition like cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes (Damien Brown Mercury 7/12).
Recognised world studies independently show particulate pollution to be directly linked to each of these diseases and yet our politicians turn a blind eye and allow planned burn smoke to cover our state for many months of the year. The Smoke Management Strategy run by the FPA has been a failure and the whole state suffers. For example, Tas. children get asthma at a higher rate than their interstate counterparts (Examiner 12/12).
Health Minister Giddings has launched her own strategy; the Chronic Diseases Clinical Network. Good on her for acknowledging that a startling percentage of our people now have such diseases and need some sort of special support. What a pity it has got to this. However, under this strategy the Health Dept. only talks to the doctors and no one talks to the forest industries that produce the toxic smoke.
Tackling these chronic conditions means tackling them at the source; in other words stop forestry burning. Tail-ended strategies will not reduce our health budget, nor reverse these chronic conditions now suffered by the biggest proportion of our people.
Picture: Tamar Valley and Mt Barrow
