Picture: John Hawkins of Forestry burn-off smoke over Chudleigh
Dr. Roscoe Taylor
Director Public Health, &
Dr. Chrissie Pickin
Deputy Director Public Health
GPO Box 125 Hobart
Tasmania. 7001
[email protected]
Dear Dr. Taylor and Dr. Pickin,
Wood Smoke / Air Quality / Your Health Website (TT here).
Thank you for the email sent to me today on behalf of the Deputy Director Public Health (Dr Chrissie Pickin) and DHHS, in relation to the above subject now on a new website at http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/peh/alerts
At first I thought this email from DHHS was a joke but after thinking about it long and hard it is a very serious matter and I take up your offer to forward my comments.
Why is it a serious matter?
Because DHHS are trying to make US, the public, responsible for our health as a result of all the deliberate smoke in this state.
DHHS are saying, we have told you about the smoke, we have done our bit, you have been advised, now it is up to you to avoid it!
This is what FT, Parks, TFS have all done, put up a website, and now DHHS are doing the same.
To give you an example of deliberate wood smoke, Forestry Tasmania (the biggest producer of smoke into our air sheds by 17 to 24 times that of wood heaters in 2008 –EPA) is trying to have us believe they are exempt from our Environmental Acts and Regulations. According to the EPA they are not exempt. It would appear the only exemption is Tas Fire Service during a Fire Permit period. FT should not be smoking us out.
Further to your email and website:
The air monitors do not record all our air. There are many gaps in our air monitoring coverage and as good as they are the air monitoring stations are not 100% reliable. They have been known to go down for periods at a time for a number of reasons.
I believe EPA staff and funding are stretched to the limit like all other departments. Staff cannot be onsite at any instant, anywhere in the state, to make repairs.
Smoke inhalation can cause very sudden onset, or delayed onset, asthma or COPD attacks. These would occur before the air monitoring data had even appeared on the website.
The air quality data being relied upon is only indicative. It is unfortunate the real-time readings do not comply with the Australian NEPM Ambient Air Quality Standards that were made to protect people’s health.
People could actually end up delaying travel and get caught in the smoke.
The air monitoring system relies on outside providers to transmit remote data. This is out of the EPA’s control and they cannot therefore guarantee real-time data.
High levels of smoke can only be known from what actually passes at any given time through an air monitor. To put it into perspective, how many hand–held hairdryers would be required to be stationed around the state to give complete coverage?Wind directional shifts can happen regularly during the course of one day.
Smoke acts like water. It is fluid and lays in high concentration in valleys where there is no monitoring. Tasmanian topography is good for this.
Monitoring stations are not always sited to read a town’s pollution. High levels can occur and it will not be reported. A person can check the air readings and nothing will be amiss.
One would never know whether the rise in particulates is a temporary thing, or if they are going to go higher, or subside. People’s lives are going to be interrupted constantly through a system of false alarms.
The last thing a susceptible person needs is to worry about is the next dose of environmental pollution. Anxiety will be increased many fold as a result of having to constantly worry about other people’s pollution. Acute Health will have to pick up Environmental Health’s tab.
A person would need their own portable computer strapped to their eyes 24/7. It would need a permanent connection to the internet with no drop outs, and a bag full of money would be needed to run it.
Susceptible people are quite often on fixed low incomes or benefits, and have large medical bills because of their health condition/s.
It appears this computerised ‘early warning system’ has been designed by,“…public health experts…” sitting at a desk. This is not how the public like to live their lives stuck inside in front of a computer. Not very healthy is it?
If the ambient air levels go up and the public know about it what do they do then? Stop going places, turn around and go back, take more medication that is probably not needed, not take enough medication and get into serious difficulty, take shelter in buildings or houses that suck in smoke?
The “local library, shopping centre, or sports centre” will not provide any worthwhile protection if they suck air from outside and donot have absolute filters installed. Most building would not be fitted with these filters.
I have raised this matter with DHHS previously and they still persist on giving the public advice that could be deemed to be incorrect.
Do people tell their doctor and hospital emergency department to be put on alert?Do they worry their family and friends?
Do they forward their bills to DHHS for relocation expenses?
You say, “…This includes people with lung conditions (including asthma), heart disease, the elderly and infants.”
Perhaps in Tasmania it would be easier to advise those that aren’t susceptible groups, and there are other groups not mentioned; take pregnant women for example.
Particulate matter affects everybody, even the healthy. We do not want to be told Forestry, for example,is burning and their smoke is coming our way.
I do not need to go any further but I will ask this:
Once DHHS puts this system in place,even on a trial basis, who is responsible if a person suffers or dies as a result of not being informed of raised ambient air levels in this state?
I believe the onus is now on DHHS.
DHHS has accepted responsibility by introducing a ‘health warning system’ that in my opinion is not satisfactory for the job.
No DHHS; please donot try and make this smoke issue an individual health issue for every Tasmanian.
Perhaps here in Tasmania we should be immediately focussing on making a one hour air quality standard to compliment the national 24hour averaged standard, And
We should be enforcing the provisions of our Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act and Regulations which we already have.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Yours sincerely,
Clive M. Stott
• I received this earlier:
Forwarded on behalf of the Deputy Director Public Health
Good afternoon
Under a partnership between public health experts and the Environment Protection Authority, the new wood smoke | air quality | your health website will be launched today.
The website combines real-time air quality monitoring, with health and air quality information. This allows precautionary health advice to be activated when smoke levels are elevated in a location for just one hour.
The health advice is aimed at individuals who are more susceptible to the harmful effects of wood smoke. This includes people with lung conditions (including asthma), heart disease, the elderly and infants.
The wood smoke | air quality | your health initiative, developed with the Asthma Foundation of Tasmania and University of Tasmania researchers, will be trialled over the next year. We anticipate building on this over time, so your feedback is important to us. If you have any questions, or wish to comment, please email [email protected]
Kind regards,
Dr Chrissie Pickin
Deputy Director Public Health
forwarded on behalf of
Public Health | Department of Health and Human Services
GPO Box 125 Hobart Tas 7001
Phone 1800 671 738 | Fax (03) 6222 7692
A fair and healthy Tasmania
Want to Get Healthy? The Tasmanian Government’s Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service(R) provides free information and coaching support to Tasmanian adults who would like to learn healthier eating habits, be more active or achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Call 1300 806 258 between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday or visit www.gethealthy.tas.gov.au for more information.” CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER The information in this transmission may be confidential and/or protected by legal professional privilege, and is intended only for the person or persons to whom it is addressed. If you are not such a person, you are warned that any disclosure, copying or dissemination of the information is unauthorised. If you have received the transmission in error, please immediately contact this office by telephone, fax or email, to inform us of the error and to enable arrangements to be made for the destruction of the transmission, or its return at our cost. No liability is accepted for any unauthorised use of the information contained in this transmission. If the transmission contains advice, the advice is based on instructions in relation to, and is provided to the addressee in connection with, the matter mentioned above. Responsibility is not accepted for reliance upon it by any other person or for any other purpose.
• Earlier on Tasmanian Times: Wood smoke linked to deaths as Forestry Tas plots 245 autumn burns
• The the Asthma Foundation says …
New smoke-free laws a breath of fresh air for Tasmanians with asthma
Tasmanians with asthma will be less exposed to second-hand smoke when they venture out in public spaces around the State, with new smoke-free laws coming into effect this week.
From this Thursday (March 1) Tasmania will have some of the toughest smoke-free area laws in the country, preventing smoking in popular public areas where many people, especially children, gather.
Asthma Foundation of Tasmania CEO Cathy Beswick said the new laws were a breath of fresh air for Tasmanians living with asthma, who were particularly susceptible to health effects from second-hand cigarette smoke.
“There are more than 60,000 Tasmanians living with asthma, including around 15,000 children and the new laws will enable these people to enjoy our outdoor dining areas, playgrounds and other public spaces without being exposed to smoke,” Ms Beswick said.
“Roughly four in every 25 Tasmanians smoke on a daily basis, leaving 21 people around them who don’t choose to breathe in cigarette smoke.
“All Tasmanians should be wary to limit their exposure to smoke, but this is especially important for people with heart and lung conditions, including asthma, as well as infants (under 1 year) and people over 65 years of age.
“Regardless of where smoke comes from, the issue is it’s in the air and it is a concern, as there is actually no safe level of smoke for people with asthma.
“This is a big step in right direction to help protect people with asthma from one of the most significant causes of exposure to smoke in the air.”
Ms Beswick met with Minister for Health Michelle O’Byrne MP and representatives from the Heart Foundation, the Cancer Council and Quit Tasmania today to celebrate the benefits of the new laws for the Tasmanian community.
• Dr Alison Bleaney, Health and Environment:
Chronic Consumption of Farmed Salmon Containing Persistent Organic Pollutants Causes Insulin Resistance and Obesity in Mice
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0025170
Conclusions/Significance
Our data indicate that intake of farmed salmon fillet contributes to several metabolic disorders linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity, and suggest a role of POPs in these deleterious effects. Overall, these findings may participate to improve nutritional strategies for the prevention and therapy of insulin resistance.
