THERE is overwhelming evidence that coalmining and the burning of coal is harmful to health and can have a significant effect on communities, a medical study just released has found.
❏ Air quality results to take "some time" here
The Medical Journal of Australia article, which was released on Monday, also declares that to persist with mining and burning coal will condemn future generations to catastrophic climate change, which the study’s authors say is the biggest health problem of the future.
The Hunter Valley is singled out as cause for concern, but the report warns that as more coalmines are opened, the social fabric of a region changes.
There is a booming coalmining industry emerging in the Gunnedah and Narrabri areas, as well as coal seam gas extraction.
The reports says that as more coalmines open, the role and function of a township alters, and many inhabitants of these regions have developed depression, anxiety and ill-health.
The authors – William Castleden, David Shearman, George Crisp and Philip Finch – are from Western Australia’s Fremantle Hospital, Perth Pain Management Centre and Murdoch University; and South Australia’s University of Adelaide and Doctors for the Environment Australia.
They say concerns are growing about the expansion of coalmining.
As a result, doctors were being asked about coal and its effects on health.
The article said Australian work on the subject was lacking, but limited evidence suggested health effects were similar to those reported in other developed countries, such as the USA.
Deaths and injuries to miners, lung disease, and coal transport’s traffic-accident risk and greenhouse gas emissions are raised in the article.
“While there has been no Australian overview of the health effects of coalmining on inhabitants of coalmining areas, evidence from the United States indicates that coalmining communities in West Virginia had an increased risk for developing cardiopulmonary disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, other lung diseases and kidney disease,” the study said.
“Mortality rates for these diseases were higher in coalmining areas compared with non-mining areas of the region.
“Potentially confounding risk factors, such as smoking rates, were not reported. Coal-processing chemicals, fumes from diesel-powered equipment, explosives, toxic impurities in coal and dust from uncovered coal trucks could all have affected the health of respondents.’’
The article also highlighted potential environmental damage to water supplies, and air pollution.
The Hunter Valley is highlighted in regard to social and mental health concerns.
“Coalmining can change the lifestyle and character of a community,” the article said.
“Medical practitioners in coalmining areas have reported that increases in asthma, stress and mental ill-health have become more common.
“Each phase of coal’s lifecycle (mining, disposal of contaminated water and tailings, transportation, washing, combustion and disposing of post-combustion wastes) produces pollutants that affect human health.”
Also flagged in the study were the potentially heightened risk of premature death for people living near coal-burning power plants, and the release of toxic elements through coal combustion, such as arsenic, mercury and lead.
“The health and climate costs of coal are unseen, and when costs to health systems are included, coal is an expensive fuel,” the study said.
The authors also state in the article that the federal government’s proposal to put a price on carbon is an important public health measure.
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