❓ A Western Australian parliamentary question addresses the health impacts of controlled forest burns, inquiring about evaluation actions, coordination between departments, and breaches of air quality standards. The response details research collaborations, the Perth Air Quality Management Plan, and instances where controlled burns contributed to air quality exceedances.
AnsweredQoN 4169Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
In relation to controlled forest burns:
(a) will the Minister detail what actions are being undertaken to evaluate the health impacts from controlled forest burns by the Department of Environment and Conservation;
(b) are the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Health coordinating a plan to minimise the health impacts of smoke pollution from controlled burns in the Perth metropolitan region; and
(i) if not, why not; and
(ii) if yes, please detail the features of the plan and the timeline for implementation; and
(c) has the Department of Environment and Conservation attributed any breaches of the Ambient Air Quality National Environment Protection Measure to impacts from the controlled burns of native forests by the Department of Environment and Conservation; and
(i) if yes, on what dates did these breaches occur?
(a) will the Minister detail what actions are being undertaken to evaluate the health impacts from controlled forest burns by the Department of Environment and Conservation;
(b) are the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Health coordinating a plan to minimise the health impacts of smoke pollution from controlled burns in the Perth metropolitan region; and
(i) if not, why not; and
(ii) if yes, please detail the features of the plan and the timeline for implementation; and
(c) has the Department of Environment and Conservation attributed any breaches of the Ambient Air Quality National Environment Protection Measure to impacts from the controlled burns of native forests by the Department of Environment and Conservation; and
(i) if yes, on what dates did these breaches occur?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
11 November 2010
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Environment
Response time
28 days
(a) The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the Health Protection Group of the Department of Health are industry partners in an Australian Research Council Linkage Project with the University of Tasmania for a project titled "Investigating the health effects of landscape burning and biomass burning in Australian towns and cities". DEC has also collaborated with CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research under the Australian Government's Clean Air Research Program to monitor particulates, ozone and other toxics from bushfire smoke in Manjimup. DEC will continue to monitor relevant air quality studies and is a participant in the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre which also conducts studies into bushfire smoke and public health.
(b) Coordination across Government with regard to air quality in the Perth metropolitan region is achieved through the Perth Air Quality Management Plan, involving both DEC and the Department of Health.
(i) Not applicable.
(ii) The Perth Air Quality Management Plan was developed to ensure that clean air is achieved and maintained throughout the Perthmetropolitan area over the next 30 years. The plan includes twelve main program areas, one of which relates to smoke management and minimising the impacts of fuel reduction burning.
(c) Although there are instances where exceedances of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure Standards have been attributed to smoke haze, not all of these are associated with DEC controlled burns. Bushfires and planned burns by private landowners, local government and bushfire brigades may also contribute to smoke haze exceedance events. The goal of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure allows up to five exceedances of the particle (PM
10
) standard per year. The DEC prescribed burning program has not breached these allowable exceedances within the Perthmetropolitan area over the past decade.
(i) DEC controlled burns were associated with exceedances of a National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure standard at one or more DEC Perth metropolitan monitoring sites on 16 April 2008, 17 January 2009 and 6 May 2010. DEC controlled burns may have also contributed to exceedances of a standard at one or more DEC Perth metropolitan monitoring sites on 20 November 2005, 7 June 2006, 11 November 2009 and 24 April 2010, but the contribution cannot be quantified.
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(b) Coordination across Government with regard to air quality in the Perth metropolitan region is achieved through the Perth Air Quality Management Plan, involving both DEC and the Department of Health.
(i) Not applicable.
(ii) The Perth Air Quality Management Plan was developed to ensure that clean air is achieved and maintained throughout the Perthmetropolitan area over the next 30 years. The plan includes twelve main program areas, one of which relates to smoke management and minimising the impacts of fuel reduction burning.
(c) Although there are instances where exceedances of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure Standards have been attributed to smoke haze, not all of these are associated with DEC controlled burns. Bushfires and planned burns by private landowners, local government and bushfire brigades may also contribute to smoke haze exceedance events. The goal of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure allows up to five exceedances of the particle (PM
10
) standard per year. The DEC prescribed burning program has not breached these allowable exceedances within the Perthmetropolitan area over the past decade.
(i) DEC controlled burns were associated with exceedances of a National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure standard at one or more DEC Perth metropolitan monitoring sites on 16 April 2008, 17 January 2009 and 6 May 2010. DEC controlled burns may have also contributed to exceedances of a standard at one or more DEC Perth metropolitan monitoring sites on 20 November 2005, 7 June 2006, 11 November 2009 and 24 April 2010, but the contribution cannot be quantified.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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