Health Minister Hon Michael Ferguson
Parliament House
Hobart 7000

Air Quality Health Protocol,

Morwell illustrates the disturbing fact that while there are no alert limits or mandatory prosecutions, there is no nationwide regulatory standard for air quality.

While Victorian Chief Health Officer, Dr Rosemary Lester, was searching around trying to get experts to agree on the safe level at which no long term damage is done to health, thousands of children were breathing toxic ash and were not encouraged to evacuate when pollution levels were even recorded at 1500ug/m3.

WHO has already stated that, ‘there is no safe level of particulate exposure’ and there was an increase in the reporting of heart attacks triggered by smoke. (Louis Nelson 27.2.14 and ABC 21.2.14) Even tiny increases in annual exposures of PM 2.5 increase heart attacks by 13% and weeks of poor air quality causes prolonged if not permanent difficulty. (ABC News 1.3.14)

It is to Dr Lester’s credit that from the 28.2.14, those with respiratory conditions could apply for temporary relocation assistance, but it is mercenary or ignorant that the Morwell town with a population of 14,000 was not evacuated or even encouraged to, from either the time of the breakout of the fire on 9.2.14 or the 21.2.14, when the coal fire broke containment lines and then proceeded to pollute northern Tasmania’s air on the 25.2.14 (ABC 21.2.14; EPA Tas. PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels almost 300)

Hon Michelle O’Byrne has had years of trial burn seasons and Hon Lara Giddings has had years of discussions, but we still have not progressed beyond air monitoring, an attitude which is reflected nationwide. Improved air quality standards are long overdue, particularly when Launceston had 14 exceedences of PM 2.5 in 2013. Meanwhile, Hon Premier Hodgman is adding $28.5 million to fuel reduction burns (3.14 Liberal Fuel Reduction Policy), burning 5% of public land/ year, and landowners are audaciously encouraged to protect their ‘properties’. Yet there is no ‘health’ protection or evacuation assistance, nor is the EMPCA ever given prosecution powers, and damaging pollution continues to cross boundaries every day.

As a minimum we support the recommendations outlined in Dr Hanson’s private medical report, for all health sufferers to have mandatory health notification and assisted evacuation prior to possible smoke pollution occurring, and for an integrated moratorium system to be adopted by Forestry, Parks, Tas. Fire Service, Council, farmers and landowners etc.

The recommendation is for a health registry for notification and access to pre-emptive burn information; for State smoke free regions; and that enforced protocols are developed for when evacuation is needed. If smoke pollution is widespread, a system needs to be in place to stop further burns until the level of pollution has sufficiently reduced.

When forestry used to offer evacuation assistance, most people opted to avoid disruption as relocation is only adopted in the extreme. Industrial pollution evacuation is not a luxury.
Yours sincerely,

Angelika Allen

Refs:

Louis Nelson 27.2.14 http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au/story/2115399/hold-your-breath
ABC News 1.3.14 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-28/speculation-napthine-to-announce-partial-evacuation-of-morwell/5289992
EPA Website http://epa.tas.gov.au/epa/real-time-air-quality-data-for-tasmania
ABC News 21.2.14 http://www.abc.net.au/news/topic/morwell-3840?page=3
Angelika Allen, Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network