The Hunter Community Environment Centre said its analysis of theEnvironment Protection Authority’s 2013 data showed a 50% increase in air pollution breaches throughout the year in the Hunter Valley and Newcastle, compared with 2012.
Coal crackdown urged as air pollution breaches rise by 50% in Hunter Valley
Environment centre wants all coal wagons and stockpiles covered, and plans for Newcastle coal terminal to be rejected
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The group, which has campaigned against the mining industry on health grounds, said the national standard for a particle called PM10 was breached 171 times last year.
Significant quantities of PM10 can cause respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, and cardiovascular disease.
The breaches showed the NSW government should block a fourth terminal at Newcastle that would export an additional 70m tonnes a year, the environment group said.
The group is also campaigning for the mining industry to cover coal wagons on trains, which it blames for spreading harmful coal dust. A Senate inquiry last year called for better monitoring of potentially harmful effects, although submissions from the mining industry said covering wagons would be too expensive.
“I was surprised by the number of breaches but also by the EPA, which has steadfastly refused to implement any measures to control pollution,” James Whelan, from the community environment centre, told Guardian Australia.
He said there was no week during the year when the pollution did not exceed national standards.
See full article in The Guardian
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