Expert Advisory Group on Air PollutionMeeting

Thursday 6 May 2010Level 11 Conference Room

NSW Health Department73 Miller Street, North Sydney

Agenda

Item

Minutes

Attendance

Members

Alison Jones (AJ)Michael Hensley (MH)Guy Marks (GM)Bruce Armstrong (BA)Mark Hibberd (MaH)

AttendeesKerry Chant (KC)

Chief Health Officer, NSW HealthWayne Smith (WS)

Director, Environmental Health Branch, NSW HealthDavid Durrheim (DD)

Director, Hunter New England Public Health Unit, Hunter New England Area Health ServiceVicky Sheppeard (VS)

Medical Officer, Population Health, Sydney West Area Health ServiceBin Jalaludin (BJ)

Deputy Director, Epidemiology Unit, Sydney South West Area Health ServiceAdam Capon (AC)

Manager, Health Risk Assessment Unit, Environmental Health Branch, NSW HealthSimon Smith (SS) NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and WaterSusan Quigley (SQ)

NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and WaterAnn Louise Crotty (ALC)

NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and WaterDavid Kitto (DK)

NSW Planning

Introduction and background to the Hunter New England (HNE) Health Report. Expert Group The objectives of the Report are:

to address community concerns about exposure risks from air pollutants

•

to advise on alternative and more appropriate means of measuring exposures to air pollution

• To advise on possible pollution mitigation strategies for developments around the Hunter area.

• To consider health effects from air pollution in the context of the broader health status of the community

• To provide advice on potential health studies in the area.

The community have provided NSW Health with a list of health conditions they wish to be investigated. HNE Public Health Unit (PHU) is to

take the lead on this issue, examining the routinely collected health data, providing feedback to the community, and refer issues as

appropriate, to the Expert Group.

Summary and discussion of HNE Health Report

There was some discussion that the nominated disease rates reported are elevated above expectations and need to be explored further. The

results show some poor health outcomes, that these rates are not unique to area, and there are a lot of possible explanations for these rates.

Finally that the results, alone, do not allow any conclusions but may indicate that the mines may be a contributor.

Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water DECCW presentation (attached)

Additional notes

PM10 monitors 3 Singleton, 3 Muswellbrook

PM2.5 monitors 1 Singleton, 1 Muswellbrook

DECCW Air Monitoring Program will have an SMS alert system to the community for elevated air levels.

• DECCW are reviewing best practice dust controls from around the world to inform regulation.

• DECCW inventory shows that the particles in Singleton and Muswellbrook are largely PM10-2.5 and not PM2.5

• General discussion by the Expert Group about the rationale for the establishment of the proposed monitoring system and the

additional pollution information that may be required.

• Input from the Expert Group suggested that while modelling of SO2 emissions provides sufficient information easily to predict their

impacts, there was still a need to monitor SO2

•

There was agreement that the speciation provided in the Australian Coal Association Research Program study gives a lot of valuable

information.

NSW Planning reported that complaints were all from the middle of the mine areas and not from the Singleton or Muswellbrook centres. A

lot of complaints come from those living next to the mines, and not from population centres. Further, that future development of mine areas

is not likely to be as big as the upper Hunter in the short term.

It was noted that the purpose of the Expert Group is to look at population health, not individual health of single residents.

There was general discussion around the generalisabilty of the exposure data along with techniques such as speciation of the data andmodelling of inventory data.

The Expert Group discussed what further data would be helpful.

There was some discussion around the possibility of a water tank survey. The Expert Group deferred consideration of this issue pending

further information from NSW Health

The Expert Group agreed on a set of actions

2 Actions

1.

Expert Group to request the release of the report undertaken by Nigel Holmes for DECCW regarding the methods used to develop theUpper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network.

2.

Expert Group advises the monitoring of PM2.5, NOx and SO2

3.

Expert Group advises a special study be undertaken to examine PM1 concentrations as well as PM1 and PM10 speciation

4.

Expert Group advises the release of Camberwell report undertaken by NSW Planning to NSW Health

5.

Expert Group requests NSW Health to provide further information around a water tank study in the region

6. Expert Group requests DECCW provision of information regarding fuels used, inventory emissions and emission controls aroundpower stations

7. Expert Group comments that further health studies are likely to be required and that the exposure monitoring will be critical toinforming subsequent health studies.

Further Actions

HNE Public Health Unit (PHU) is to take the lead on the list of community health complaints given to NSW Health/HNE AHS, examining theroutinely collected data, providing feedback to the community on what is achievable and refer issues to the Expert Group as appropriate.

Discussion of the fact sheet for the community.

3

1 Next meeting

The Expert Group will reconvene on Friday 28th May 2010 in Sydney. The Expert Group has agreed to meet representatives of thecommunity in Singleton on Friday 25th June 2010 (date to be confirmed).