Residents of the Upper Hunter were already coping with record levels of dust in the form of PM10 air pollution throughout 2019 when along came the 2019-20 bushfire season that blanketed the region in weeks of smoke that contains the dangerous smaller air polluting particles PM2.5.
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The same particles are emitted from our two coal fired powered stations Liddell and Bayswater - usually the main local source of this type of pollution.
These PM 2.5 particles according to NSW Health are so small they can get deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream. There is sufficient evidence that exposure to PM2.5 over long periods (years) can cause adverse health effects.
"The lungs of people living in NSW took a hammering over the summer period due to bushfire smoke," said Singleton GP Bob Vickers.
"For those of us living in the Upper Hunter who were already dealing with record levels of PM10 pollution from the coal mining industry - the double whammy on our health is an unknown."
"Overseas studies are now reporting that communities exposed to PM2.5 pollution are recording higher morality rates from COVID-19 which is extremely concerning."
According to new analysis from Harvard University found an increase of only 1 g/m3 in PM2.5 is associated with a 15 percent increase in the Covid-19 death rate.
Dr Vickers said based on that report residents in our region, due to their longterm and cumulative exposure to PM2.5, were at greater risk if they contracted COVID-19.
"We must maintain our strict social distancing measures to ensure we don't allow the virus to spread locally and if we find any clusters act fast enough to isolate them," he said.
An interesting side affect of the current strict social distancing rules appears to be a drop in the number of flu cases.
"Figures coming from FluTracking program are showing the flu spread is down in comparison with previous years which is most likely due to all of us maintaining social distancing," he said.
"But we are still advising people to get their flu vaccination especially those with underlying health issues, the elderly and immune suppressed."
Commenting on the source pf the region's air pollution Dr Vickers said there was an urgent need for government agencies to undertake spot checks on the big polluters and do away with, solely issuing air quality alerts, based on the rolling 24 hour average reporting of PM10 and PM2.5 levels.
"During any 24 hour period some of the Upper Hunter's air quality monitoring sites can record levels way over the national standards but the daily average is below that required for an alert," he said.
"However for the one or more hours where the levels are extremely dangerous to the community an alert should be issued."
As far as the PM10 pollution there has been a 61 per cent increase at Australian coal mines during the past 10 years, according to analysis from Environmental Justice Australia.
Several Hunter Valley coal mines recorded increases in dust levels over five years, such as Yancoal Moolarben Coal Operations at Ulan (136 per cent), Mt Owen Mine at Ravensworth (37 per cent), Hunter Valley Operations, (9 per cent), Bulga Coal (12 per cent), and Bengalla Operations, Muswellbrook (14 per cent).
"We are being told time and time again by the mines themselves, and the regulatory bodies, that best practice methods are being used to control air pollution, Dr Vickers said.
"Clearly this isn't the case. The children of the Hunter Valley already have unfairly higher rates of asthma than children in other parts of the country.
"We're now in the middle of a respiratory virus pandemic, and now our airways and hearts have been weakened by this long term exposure to air pollution. There is no better time to take serious action to reduce pollution than now."