New South Wales Public Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant, NSW Health Director of Environmental Health branch Dr Wayne Smith, Hunter New England Health Director of Population Health John Wiggers and Hunter New England Health Director of Health Protection Dr David Durrheim spent Wednesday in Singleton and Muswellbrook, finishing the tour with a three-hour meeting with the Singleton Shire Healthy Environment Group.

The visitors left Singleton with a very clear understanding of the concerns and a commitment to investigate.

“We know dust is bad for health, what we need to know is the extent of the dust and what we can do about it,” Dr Chant told the group of 14.

“We are concerned about the exposure,” she said.

An expert panel has already been appointed. Toxicologist Dr Alison Jones who was once head of the Poisons Centre in London will join Sydney University cancer epidemiologist Professor Bruce Armstong and respiratory epidemiologist Professor Guy Marks on the panel.

Other experts may be called in if required.

Their first job will be to enquire into the air quality monitoring network proposed last year by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW).

The panel meets with DECCW on May 6.

The monitoring is vital for the panel to get the information they need and must be positioned appropriately.

•“We need to look at the monitoring array, is it measuring the right things in the right places to tell us what effects it is having on the community,” Dr Chant said.

“We need to determine what studies or investiations need to be coordinated and what controls and mitigations need to be put in place to protect the community,” she said.

The Director of the Environmental Health Branch of NSW Health Wayne Smith told the group he didn’t care where the dust was coming from.

“I care about the total dust,” he said.

It what is obviously the first time the cumulative impact of heavy industry has been recognised, Dr Smith said the evidence was clear cut. Particulate matter (dust) is harmful to human health.

He said there was a a huge body of literature from large studies involved 20/30 million people over decades that show the relation between death and particulate matter.

Cardio pulmonary disease, asthma and lung cancer are all associated with particulate matter.

When questioned over the need to measure the tiny PM2.5s, Dr Smith said they were probably more harmful in the city and related to diesel engines, cars and industrial pollution and that ambient (outside) air was dominated by PM10s.

PM10 is an issue in itself.

Dr Chant said she did not want to pre-empt the expert panel but expected the members to be keen to get exposure to all the available data.

Dr Chant said the determination of the panel had status and that it has the power to advise.

“I am not planning, I can’t say I won’t approve a new mine but what we can do is lay it out clearly, we know dust has health affects and we need to map it out,” she said.

“This will be a collaborative approach with DECCW and NSW Planning but I cannot say what planning and any other agencies will do.

“All I can do is commit that we will advocate, I will accept the expert panel’s advice and we will provide that advice and advocate for agencies,” she said.

Mitigtion suggestions from Dr Chant included a phased approach to mining, a change to mining operations in windy weather and more rehabilitation.

If real time monitoring is introduced and it is know particulates are high, residents could receive health warnings such as those issued in Sydney on days of high pollution.

“We need the right data if we are going to do these things,” Dr Chant said.

It was a meeting all walked away from feeling more confident a breakthrough in the ongoing health debate had been achieved.

“This is a step in the right direction,” said Healthy Environment Group member Dr Tuan Au.

He thanked the group for taking time out to visit Singleton and looked forward to ongoing consultation locally with Dr Durrheim and the panel.