Environment and Resource Management

Reports

Boyne Smelters Limited—Environmental Investigation Report

Following a series of air pollution incidents at Boyne Smelters and a comparative assessment of site emissions, DERM issued a Notice requiring Boyne Smelters Limited to undertake a comprehensive emission survey and risk assessment. View the official notices and the report prepared by the company, meeting DERM’s requirements.

Benchmarking atmospheric emissions

These reports are the first of a series; benchmarking atmospheric emissions from major industrial activities in the Gladstone area against similar activities operating elsewhere in the world. Information from these reports (and other sources) will be used in developing the emissions inventory for the Gladstone airshed. Data used in the preparation of these reports is all publicly available information sourced from Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan and the United States of America.

Air quality

Reports relating to the air quality component of the project are published in this section of the website.

A proposed Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Plan for Gladstone was released for public comment in January 2008 and was also reviewed by the independent reviewer, Dr Neville Bofinger. The Independent Review is provided below.

The Final Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Plan was developed following consideration of the public comment received and the Independent Review of the proposed Plan. The Final Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Plan is provided below.

The Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone expanded air quality monitoring program operated between June 2008 and July 2010. Information on ambient concentrations of over 200 air pollutants was obtained to provide the basis for a detailed and rigorous assessment of air quality and exposure of the community to air pollutants in the region. The report on the findings of the expanded air quality monitoring program is provided below.

The polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzo-p-furans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) component of the expanded monitoring program was conducted by the National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox). A summary of the PCDD, PCDF and PCB monitoring results is included in the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Program report, however full details of this monitoring can be found in the final Entox report provided below.

Community health

Progress reports relating to the community health component of the project are published in this section of the website.

The document below titled 'Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone: Key pollutant inventory and Suite of health outcomes to be assessed' is a discussion paper in its final form, having undergone both community consultation and review by the independent external reviewer, Professor Brian Priestly. This discussion paper outlines the key pollutants and health outcomes to be investigated as part of the Health Risk Assessment component of the project. Information on the health effects of each pollutant is presented together with the reasons for its inclusion in the study.
Professor Brian Priestly's comments on the original draft document are also available below.

Human health risk assessment

Are pollutants in the air in the Gladstone area present at levels that may cause health problems in the community? To answer this question, Queensland Health will do a human health risk assessment. This is a well recognised systematic process for identifying and describing the nature and size of risks associated with environmental health hazards. The human health risk assessment will use actual measurements and modelling of air pollutants in the ambient air in Gladstone to identify and describe risks to the community.

The Human Health Risk Assessment Methodology - Consultation Draft provides a detailed description of the methodology for the HHRA for this project. This document has been subject to review by independent reviewer for the health components, Professor Brian Priestly. The initial document has undergone some revision based on Prof Priestly's feedback. The document below is the revised consultation draft. A copy of Prof Priestly's comments is also available below.

Feedback on the methodology is invited until end of February 2009. Have your say in the following ways:
Email cleanair.gladstone@derm.qld.gov.au, provide your feedback to a reference group member, send it in writing to PO Box 5065, Gladstone Qld 4680, or contact the Queensland Health Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone project hotline 1800 207 161.

Health assessment

Interim Report Health Assessment (Phase 1) - Summary of Data Analysis from Existing Health Datasets

This report provides results from information extracted and analysed from hospitalisation, death, cancer and perinatal (birth) registries for the Gladstone area. This is a plain language interim report. A final report that will include the results of the telephone-based survey and a full technical report will be available in February 2009.

Final Health Assessment Report (Phase 2) - Summary of Data Analysis from the Community Health Survey

This report provides the results of the community health survey which was completed by the Office of the Government Statistician on behalf of Queensland Health in October 2008. At the end of the report a discussion is provided outlining the overall findings from both the extraction of health data and the community health survey, providing a picture of the health of residents of the Gladstone area.

Health Assessment Methodology

This paper outlines the approach used by Queensland Health to undertake the health assessment. The methodology was reviewed by Professor Brian Priestly and his comments on the paper are available below.

Health risk assessment final reports

This interim human health risk assessment report relates to data collected during the first half of the expanded air quality monitoring program in the Gladstone area. The report provides summary data, comparisons with national and international air quality standards and guidelines, and discussion about the degree to which exposure to those levels of the various pollutants might pose a potential risk to human health.  The report is a precursor to the final report, which will be completed after a full 12 months of air quality monitoring data are available.

A draft version of the report was reviewed by Professor Brian Priestly, Director, Australian Centre for Human Health Risk Assessment, Monash University.  Suggestions made by Prof Priestly have been either incorporated into this report, or will be addressed in the final report.

The final human health risk assessment report relates to data collected from the full expanded air quality monitoring program in the Gladstone area. The report provides summary data, comparisons with national and international air quality standards and guidelines, and discussion about the degree to which exposure to those levels of the various pollutants might pose a potential risk to human health. The report is the final human health risk assessment report from the Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone Project based on air quality data collected over the period November 2008 – March 2010.
The human health risk assessment summary provides an abridged version presenting the main findings discussed in more detail in the full report.

Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone Project final report

The final report documents the outcomes and findings of the Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone Project. The report summarises the methodology and outcomes of earlier reports and advances that body of work to provide recommendations for managing air quality in the Gladstone region.

The implementation plan identifies actions and timeframes for implementing the recommendations contained in the final report.

Contact us

For further information contact the Department of Environment and Resource Management at clean.air.gladstone@derm.qld.gov.au 

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Last updated 24 November 2011

Gladstone

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