Council dusts off impact group to focus on air quality

Community concerns about dust will see the Moranbah Cumulative Impacts Group reconvened, expanding its charter to encompass air quality in Bowen Basin towns. Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker said air quality in Moranbah and other Isaac towns was largely influenced by dust generated from mining operations. "That is the reality of extracting the resources which generate more than $4.6 billion in revenue and $1.5 billion in royalties for Queensland," she said. Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker. “But the effects of that activity on local communities needs to be monitored and managed and we are refocusing our efforts in this space.” Cr Baker said the Moranbah Cumulative Impacts Group, which comprised stakeholders from council, community, industry, government and academia, had been largely responsible for the introduction of a comprehensive air quality monitoring program several years ago. “Community concern in relation to air quality, particularly with the upswing in resource sector activity regionwide, underpins the case to reconvene the Moranbah Cumulative Impacts Group, with the first order of business to extend its remit to include all Isaac resources communities,” she said. The council move came after the coal miners' union called for open-cut mines in Central Queensland to do more to control dust in dry weather conditions. CFMEU Mining and Energy Queensland President Stephen Smyth said Bowen Basin towns including Moranbah and Bluff were suffering from high dust levels, partly due to dust blowing from nearby open cut coal mines. “Dust is worse all round in the dry weather, but dust blowing off coal mines is a contributing factor to high dust levels in towns,” Mr Smyth said. CFMEU Mining and Energy Queensland President Stephen Smyth. “There is so much dust at some mines that visibility is an issue for workers. Excessive dust on site is dangerous for workers if they can’t see what they’re doing, and it increases the risk of respiratory dust disease. “In nearby towns, dust can exacerbate conditions like asthma and emphysema. “Open-cut mines should be stepping up their dust control and dust suppression measures in the current dry conditions. It is not fair for mine operators to let communities bear the brunt of poor dust management practices.” Local newspaper reports today quoted University of Queensland senior lecturer of Primary Care Clinical Unit David King as saying breathing the air in Moranbah was "equivalent to smoking a cigarette a day" on some days. He said data from the Department of Environment and Science showed the community had been repeatedly exposed to high levels of microscopic dust, known as PM10, over the past 12 months. The DES told iQ that dust monitoring at Moranbah was done by an instrument that was very sensitive, measuring very small amounts of PM10 particles. It is due to be replaced within months by a newer generation instrument, which also has the capability to measure smaller PM2.5 particle concentrations. Data from the monitoring is available online, with the latest monthly air quality bulletin (June 2019) available HERE. "The PM10 exceedances during this period are primarily related to lower than average rainfall and resulting dry conditions during much of this period," a department spokesman said. "These conditions have resulted in more frequent dust storms and bushfire smoke, as well as increased hazard-reduction burning to reduce bushfire risk in the region." Cr Baker said all extractive operations were required to manage dust within their sites as part of their environment approvals, however, the council’s concern was about the wider downstream effects of dust creation. “Moranbah, particularly, is surrounded by mines and quarries so the impact of dust from all these sites is cumulative on the township,” she said. “We are also calling on the resources industry and the Queensland Government, as the responsible authority for monitoring and enforcing environmental compliance at mines and quarries, to take heed of town-based data and take all necessary steps to mitigate the dust levels.”

Council dusts off impact group to focus on air quality

Industry Queensland

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