Coal trains in suburban Brisbane
In South East Queensland there has been mounting concern over the health impacts residents are facing from increased coal mining and transport. Coal is transported from Acland in the Darling Downs through Toowoomba and Ipswich then through 21 residential suburbs of Brisbane, passing along the fence line or within 100 metres of many of these properties.
In 2005/2006, 4.1 million tonnes of coal was transported by rail to the Port of Brisbane. The figure ballooned to 8.85 million tonnes in 2011/2012. New Hope Coal is considering expanding this to 14 million tonnes, and Queensland Rail's long-term plan is to increase this to 20 million tonnes by 2020. At the current rate, residents of Toowoomba, Ipswich and Brisbane are exposed to 7,400 uncovered coal wagons a year.
Coal wagons are known to release fine dust particulates during transit. People most susceptible to the health effects of fine dust particles are infants, children, adolescents, the elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions like asthma.
Friends of the Earth Brisbane is calling on the coal industry to immediately cover all train wagons; rule out the expansion of the Brisbane coal port and the construction of a new port at Pinkenba; and halt the expansion of the New Acland and OGL mines.
On June 26, 20 concerned residents protested at the Aurizon offices in Brisbane's CBD. "It's cheap to put proper lids on the wagons, less than $10 per wagon per trip," said FoE spokesperson Bradley Smith. "The coal industry's own study in Tennyson found that coal dust in suburban Brisbane has tripled in the past 15 years and the World Health Organisation confirms that even small amounts of coal dust will have health consequences."
FoE Brisbane hosted a community forum on the health impacts of coal dust in Yeronga in May. As a result of that meeting, FoE Brisbane is surveying residents in the Tennyson to Fairfield area and planning further community meetings. If you'd like to assist with the surveys or organising community meetings, or help with the data entry and analysis, please contact: sixdegrees@archive.foe.org.au, (07) 3171 2255.
More information on coal trains in Brisbane: sixdegrees.org.au/content/coal-trains-suburbs-brisbane
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Coal train dust in NSW
An independent review of a report into coal train dust in the Hunter region of NSW has found a major error with its statistical analysis. An air quality expert was commissioned by the Environment Protection Authority to look over the report by the Australian Rail Track Corporation after claims the draft was altered before publication.
The report found that coal trains do not create any more dust than regular trains. University of Queensland air quality expert Doctor Luke Knibbs was commissioned to review the report and found problems. "The major finding of that review was a error in the statistical analysis which was used which calls into question a number of the findings," he said.
The EPA agrees with Dr Knibbs' findings. The government has now asked the state's chief scientist to recommend an appropriate expert to review ARTC's monitoring data.
But Coal Terminal Action Group spokeswoman Fee Mozeley says more needs to be done. "When the doctoring of this report became public knowledge we wrote to the Premier asking for a Special Commission of Inquiry to get to the bottom of this matter," she said. "Since then more than 500 Newcastle residents have sent similar letters and we haven't had any response from the Premier."
− ABC, 'Major statistical error found in dust report', 3 July 2013