Environment and Resource Management

Reports

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

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

The Proposed Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Plan for Gladstone has been through public consultation and is currently under finial review by the independent reviewer, Dr Neville Bofinger. Once finalised, the endorsed plan will be published on this website. Dr Neville Bofinger's Draft Independent Review is provided below.

The Proposed Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Plan, as initially released for public comment is available below. Submissions for public comment closed on 15 February 2008.

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@epa.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 207161.

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.

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.

Contact Us

For further information contact the Environmental Protection Agency at cleanair.gladstone@epa.qld.gov.au

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Last updated: 04 November 2009

Gladstone

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