❓ A parliamentary question challenges the Minister for the Environment's statements regarding a health risk assessment of the Alcoa Pinjarra alumina refinery, specifically concerning air pollution exposure levels and the validity of the assessment. The Minister's response defends the initial statement and outlines measures being taken to address concerns.
AnsweredQoN 1801Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Can the Minister for the Environment explain why she was able to publicly state recently found that a Health Risk Assessment of the Alcoa Pinjarra alumina refinery found exposure to air borne pollutants among residents near the refinery to be well with acceptable levels’ when the study actually found that at one of fours sites examined, nearby residents level of exposure to cancer-causing emissions resulted in a cancer risk of 56 percent higher or 167 percent higher than the acceptable level, depending on which dispersion model was used?
(2) Can the Minister also explain why she failed to qualify her remarks by disclosing that UWA Public Health Professor, Phillip Weinstein, who was appointed to review the Health Risk study referred to, found it was flawed and in fact did not constitute a proper Health Risk Assessment?
(3) Will the Government ensure that an air pollution hazard surveillance system is put in place in Pinjarra, as suggested by Professor Weinstein, to protect the health of Pinjarra residents?
(4) If yes, how will this be done?
(2) Can the Minister also explain why she failed to qualify her remarks by disclosing that UWA Public Health Professor, Phillip Weinstein, who was appointed to review the Health Risk study referred to, found it was flawed and in fact did not constitute a proper Health Risk Assessment?
(3) Will the Government ensure that an air pollution hazard surveillance system is put in place in Pinjarra, as suggested by Professor Weinstein, to protect the health of Pinjarra residents?
(4) If yes, how will this be done?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
7 May 2004
Responded by
Minister for Local Government and Regional Development representing the Minister for the Environment
Response time
38 days
The Minister for Health has provided the following response: 2. The Member is misreading and selectively quoting Professor Weinstein’s review of the Health Risk Assessment. For the benefit of the Member, and the House, I will table a copy of Professor Weinstein’s review. In particular, I would draw the attention to the final paragraph of the review which states: “The report concludes there is “little likelihood of health effects being caused by either acute or chronic exposure of the general public to refinery emissions from the Alcoa refinery”. Given that the proposed upgrade is set to lower emissions further, an even wider safety margin can be anticipated for future emissions at Pinjarra. The conclusion is further strengthened by considering the extreme conservatism built into the analysis and the very marginal exceedances of human health risk with the possible reasons for same discussed above. It would nevertheless be prudent to maintain a rigorous hazard surveillance system, particularly for oxides of nitrogen, arsenic and mercury. Assuming that such precautionary surveillance takes place, and assuming that the upgrade performs to expectation, I strongly support the report’s conclusion that emissions from the Pinjarra refinery pose no threat to public health.” The Minister for Health has provided the following response: (3) Yes. The Ministerial conditions placed on the proposal by the Minister for the Environment specifically address Professor Weinstein’s recommendations. For the benefit of the House, I will table a copy of the conditions. The attention of the House is drawn to conditions 6, 7 and 8 which not only specifically address the recommendations of Professor Weinstein, but go well beyond his recommendations. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response: (4) This will be done through the Ministerial Conditions. [See Tabled Paper ]
The Minister for Health has provided the following response: (3) Yes. The Ministerial conditions placed on the proposal by the Minister for the Environment specifically address Professor Weinstein’s recommendations. For the benefit of the House, I will table a copy of the conditions. The attention of the House is drawn to conditions 6, 7 and 8 which not only specifically address the recommendations of Professor Weinstein, but go well beyond his recommendations. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response: (4) This will be done through the Ministerial Conditions. [See Tabled Paper ]
The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response: (4) This will be done through the Ministerial Conditions. [See Tabled Paper ]
[See Tabled Paper ]
The Minister for Health has provided the following response: (3) Yes. The Ministerial conditions placed on the proposal by the Minister for the Environment specifically address Professor Weinstein’s recommendations. For the benefit of the House, I will table a copy of the conditions. The attention of the House is drawn to conditions 6, 7 and 8 which not only specifically address the recommendations of Professor Weinstein, but go well beyond his recommendations. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response: (4) This will be done through the Ministerial Conditions. [See Tabled Paper ]
The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response: (4) This will be done through the Ministerial Conditions. [See Tabled Paper ]
[See Tabled Paper ]
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.