On 17th September 2014, a presentation on the Health Impacts of Air Pollution was held for concerned parents in the Collingwood area. Collingwood has some of the worst traffic in Melbourne but the air quality is not regularly measured. Keele Street Creche now has monitoring but it is unclear if any results will be released to the public before the election.

Dr. Merryn Redenbach from Doctors for the Environment spoke about the different types of air pollution and the different health impacts. She explained air pollution is particularly bad for children, whose lungs are still developing and breathe a lot more than adults as they run around more. The elderly, and people who already have heart and lung illness, and people living in areas of high pollution are the most vulnerable. Sadly, this usually correlates with lower socio economic groups.

One form of pollution of real concern is particulate matter. These are tiny particles, smaller than dust. The smaller the more hazardous. Australia only has limits for the largest particles known as PM10.

Australia has the slackest air pollution laws in the developed world. You’d have to go to India to find higher Sulphur limits. Many of the Australian limits are just guidelines and there is no evidence that says the limits represent a safe environment. When national standards were introduced in 1998, they were supposed to be reviewed in 3 years, that still hasn’t happened.

The US and Europe have been tightening air pollution laws, but Australia is still stuck in 1970s – despite considerable research showing that air pollution is far more hazardous than previously thought. The World Health Organisation has recently classified Diesel fumes as a class 1 carcinogen. So it joins asbestos and tobacco in terms of cancer risk. So much for diesel cars being clean.

Melbourne exceeded the very lax limits for the larger particle PM10 on 27 days in 2008. This is worse than any other city in Australia.

Continue Reading…