Air pollution in Tasmania

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Air Pollution in Tasmania

This is one of the priority areas of Pollution Information Tasmania, a community group dedicated to investigating and documenting pollution in the state of Tasmania, Australia.[1]

Forestry Burns

One of the main sources of seasonal air pollution in the Tasmanian landscape is from deliberate post logging burns. Once forests are logged, they are seasonally burnt by the forest industry with either high, or smoky low, intensity burns ignited by a napalm type substance from rotary wing aircraft. Pernicious smoke from these residue burns is known to spread accross the landscape impacting upon the health of the community.

Angelika Allen from Quality Air Tasmania has been compiling diarys of these smoke pollution events and is a regularly blog writer, see "Tasmanian Times" [tasmaniantimes.com/.../Why_Air_Pollution_is_an_issue_in_Tasmania_9-9- 09.doc] </ref>. More information to come.

cleanairtas made a submission to the Australian Government's Ambient Air Quality - National Evironmental Protection Measures (NEPMs) review process in August 2010 [2].


Back yard Burning

Block sizes greater than 2000 square meters:

As of the 28th April 2013 nobody is administering environmental legislation in relation to back yard burning on blocks sizes greater than 2000 square meters. Council and the EPA both claim it is the other’s jurisdiction. The EPA has suggested people harmed by smoke should deal directly with the burners and ask them to desist.

Block sizes less than 2000 square meters:

Council is responsible for wood heaters and outdoor burning (incinerators, etc.) on blocks sizes less than 2000 square meters.


Pesticide Spray Drift

In response to government inaction and growing community concerns about exposure to pesticide spray drift, the National Toxics Network has published A Community Information and Action Kit: The Threat of Pesticide Spray Drift.[3]. The Kit was launched at a public forum in Tasmania in collaboration with affected community groups. Over 2000 kits have been distributed through NGO networks and communities. It provides essential information about pesticide regulation in each state or territory of Australia, the dangers of pesticide drift, how it occurs and what you can do to take action in response to an incident. The kit includes a Pesiticide Spray Drift Report Form to help you collect important information should you be exposed to spray drift or you witness a spray drift incident.

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Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. "Telling the Truth about Toxics in Tasmania", Tasmanian Times, August 2, 2009.
  2. Stott, C. 2010 Submission to the review of Australia's Ambient Air Quality - National Evironmental Protection Measures. [1]
  3. National Toxics Network Inc. 2009 A Community Information and Action Kit: The threat of Pesticide Spray Drift [www.ntn.org.au]

External resources

External articles

  • Cleanairtas Submission #81,"Senate Committees - The impacts on health of air quality in Australia" , March 2013
  • Amy Norton, "Air pollution may raise preterm birth risk", Reuters, September 24, 2009.
  • Janet Raloff, "Pollutants: Up in flames", "ScienceNews", December 2, 2009. ‘Forest fires can bake decades worth of pollutants out of soils and loft them into the air,’ Air pollution from high intensity forestry plantation burns after clear felling potentially contains much more than merely soot particles. It now has been shown that forest fires have the potential to release toxic industrial and agricultural pollutants – such as pesticides and PCBs - previously trapped on soil. After glomming onto smoke particles, these chemicals can hitch long-distance rides — sometimes across oceans — before they’re grounded again and contaminate some new region, scientists report.
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