The bushfires and resulting air pollution in Australia are signs of a global trend. In November and December this year there have already been 80 days reaching this level, with one quarter of these days reaching an AQI above 200.On the worst day of this period to date in Sydney, the AQI reached 669 which is the equivalent to smoking 30 cigarettes a day. They have killed eight people, destroyed more than 700 homes and burned through more than two million hectares of land.The fires have exposed the criminal negligence of governments, state and federal, Coalition and Labor alike. The estimated financial cost of premature deaths due to air pollution ranges from roughly $11 billion to $24 billion per year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths globally are linked to ambient air pollution.
MEDIA RELEASE A coalition of health, environment and community groups has made a legal complaint to the Victorian Environment Protection Authority calling for the body to investigate alleged breaches of the law by EnergyAustralia after Yallourn power station reported huge increases in dangerous particle pollution, despite producing less… Much stricter standards have been adopted in most other countries, including the US, EU, and China.Coal-fired power stations are a big contributor to air pollution in Australia and the biggest sources of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the country.We know that at least 279 people die prematurely each year in NSW as a result of toxic air pollution from the state’s five coal-fired power stations. Like governments around the world, none of those in Australia has seriously addressed climate change that is exacerbating the prevalence of fires.These same governments have ignored the warnings of the health and medical professions and the increasingly strident concerns of fire fighters.Currently emergency departments struggle to keep up with existing demand and are poorly equipped to handle dramatically rising numbers of patients impacted by the negative health effects of bush fires, let alone the long term consequences of poor air quality. “However, we do know that current evidence indicates there is no safe lower threshold of exposure to [particulate matter] pollution.”Dr Cowie also said there was concern about the most vulnerable members of the community. “This disproportionately affects some of our most vulnerable patients, including the elderly and children. MEDIA RELEASE Analysis of just released data from the National Pollutant Inventory reveals coal-fired power stations are Australia’s biggest polluters once again with a number of power stations reporting significant increases in some of the most toxic pollutants. “It is uncertain how medium-term exposure to these sporadic bushfire pollutions events impact on long-term health,” she said. National air pollution limits currently exceed the World Health Organisation’s recommended thresholds and by international comparison, lag significantly. “Heatwaves can also lead to increased presentations for conditions such as heatstroke, cardiac events and mental health issues,” he said. The southern Australian bushfire season, which typically reaches its height in January and February, started earlier and more ferociously than usual – and the extreme conditions are expected to persist for months.Fine particulate matter in bushfire smoke is small enough to enter the lungs and bloodstream, and can In areas affected by hazardous air quality, NSW authorities have advised vulnerable people to stay indoors, with windows and doors shut, and urged everyone to avoid exercising outdoors.Hospitals have reported a spike in admissions for respiratory problems, schools have kept students indoors and cancelled sporting events and On smoky days, images of the haze hanging over Sydney, in murky shades of grey, yellow and orange, proliferate on social media – unsettling for a city accustomed to blue skies and ocean breezes. How to Watch the 2020 UEFA Champions League in Australia. These governments have for decades presided over budget cuts to firefighting services which now almost entirely relies on volunteers and have watched as entire towns in remote and rural areas run out of water making it increasingly impossible not just to fight the fires but to inhabit the towns at all. Thousands of others suffer health effects like stroke, heart disease and asthma.Australia’s current air pollution standards are not strong enough to protect human health. “No one can say definitively what happens after a two-month exposure to those high levels, other than if you’re susceptible, you’re likely to have increased respiratory problems,” she said.Professor Francesca Dominici of Harvard University in the US is the senior author of a study which revealed that short term exposure to fine particles in pollution can impact a wider range of medical conditions beyond lung and cardiovascular disease.Dominici told the ABC Health report: “Even though we don’t know yet all of the clinical pathways that could have led to this disease [lung disease], we do know that inhalation of fine particulate matter penetrates deep into the lung and initiates a series of inflammations that could simultaneously affect multiple organs.”The study’s authors say the comprehensive analysis provides timely evidence for the upcoming revision of the WHO air quality guidelines.This latest evidence is among a large body of data that demonstrates air pollution is significantly detrimental to human health.The catastrophic bushfires have been burning since August from one side of Australia to the other, some four months earlier than the normal fire season.
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