APRIL 2, 2015
Australia's coal industry is driving increases in air
pollution according to a new analysis which names coal mining as the dominant
source of air particle pollution.
Environment and health groups are calling for new laws to
curb rising pollution from toxic substances and "hefty penalties" for
companies that breach pollution controls.
Environmental Justice Australia (EJA) has completed a
three-month study that tracked five years of data voluntarily submitted by
polluters to Australia's National Pollutant Inventory (NPI), which tracks
emissions estimates for 93 toxic substances.
The study found coal was the leading source of particle
pollution and there had been a doubling in coarse-particle pollution –
called PM10 – from coal mining in the past five years.
Emissions of dangerous fine-particle pollution –
called PM2.5 – from the coal industry had increased by 52 per cent in
the same period, compared to a general increase across all industries of 14 per
cent.
"We've failed to protect the communities of
Australia," researcher James Whelan said.
"Air pollution kills more Australians than car
accidents – that was noted by the Senate inquiry into the health impacts of air
pollution in 2013."
The coal industry was responsible for 430,000 tonnes
of coarse particle pollution in 2013-14, according to the NPI figures, a
contribution of 47 per cent of the national total.
In NSW, the Hunter Valley has some of the most polluting
coal mines in Australia, eclipsed only by Queensland's Bowen Basin, according
to EJA's research.
Meanwhile, Victoria's Latrobe Valley is home to the nation's
four highest polluting coal-fired power stations.
The Abbott government has been working toward a national air
quality agreement to improve air quality and better regulate actions at a state
and national level.
A discussion paper on curbing air pollution will be
considered at the next meeting of federal and state environment ministers.
"Air quality in Australia is very good by
world standards but it could be better, and over the coming decades as the
population grows, we need to make sure that our air quality improves," a
government spokesman said.
Environmental Justice Australia director of advocacy and
research Nicola Rivers said the data should be "a wake-up call" for
governments that had resisted calls for a crackdown on polluters.
"It's time for reform. Australia's lax air quality
standards are regularly exceeded by big coal polluters who fail to implement
best-practice pollution control measures, while regulators consistently turn a
blind eye to the problem," she said.
The National Toxics Network (NTN) said the latest NPI data,
published this week, also showed air pollution from unconventional gas
activities is increasing and continuing to put the health of Australians at
risk from thousands of tonnes of toxic chemicals pumped into the air every
year.
Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, a senior advisor to the NTN, said
the figures showed the volume of pollutants being emitted by the industry,
including the cancer-causing chemical benzene, nitrous oxide and
particulate matter.
"These are dangerous enough on their own but combine to
make a really poisonous toxic soup," Dr Lloyd-Smith said.
"The adverse effects of particulate matter are well documented
and there is no evidence of a safe level of exposure or a threshold below which
no adverse health effects occur. The combined air pollutants can result in
serious health impacts such as cancer, respiratory disease, heart attacks and
stroke".
Australia is one of the few countries where the
unconventional gas companies are required to self-report to the government's
NPI. The NTN said the data over the past five years has shown the industry is a
significant and increasing source of air pollution including particulates (PM10,
PM2.5), nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCS), and the
quantities are increasing.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au