This photo was taken at Rowella towards the project site at Longreach (the woodchip mills are visible on the right), and clearly shows the inversion layer.
Gunns Ltd have said that the mill will have a stack over 130 metres tall and that it will built from a level of 60 metres.
IIS: The stack will rise 200 metres above sea level.Gunns Ltd: 'The minimal emissions will predominantly be water vapour and carbon dioxide'.
Comment: Whoops! Forgot the 300kgs a day of particulates (according to Neil McCubbin on Stateline) - and that's at the mills lowest capacity. Could it end up nearer 500kgs a day? And no mention of other gases.
Gunns proposal to RPDC: 'However, they are likely to include the following: Gaseous - oxides and other compounds of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur.'
Comment: ' That's better.'
Gunns proposal to Federal minister: 'Approximately 500,000 GREEN tonnes of bark, fines, sawdust, wood waste and other forest residues may be burnt to supply steam and power for the pulp mill.'
Comment: Read that again - let it sink in. How much air pollution will that produce? That's equivalent to 70,000 wood heaters in consumption. But Gunns say that it will be burnt at a very high temperature and that the soot will be electrostatically removed. How complete they think this process will be will presumably be in the integrated impact statement (IIS)
IIS: Says that the power plant will generate 200Mw - that's 50% more than in their original plans. So does that mean it will use 750,000tonnes of wood?Surely invisible microscopic particles cannot be harmful to humans? Unfortunately, yes they are - very. Because of their small size, these minute particles travel deep into the lungs acting as carriers for harmful carcinogenic compounds which can eventually cause cancer. More recently, a relationship has been established between the level of particulates and heart attacks and strokes. Even a small rise in atmospheric particulates results in increased admissions to emergency rooms within a short time frame - 24 hours. The reason is that they make the blood more sticky. It is now recognised there is no safe limit for particulates - every increase results in more disease and deaths.
Health effects of particulates
Launceston is recognised as sometimes having the worst polluted air in Australia during winter mainly because of the inversion layer trapping pollutants in the valley. This satellite photograph shows Launceston completely covered in smog on an otherwise cloudless day in northern Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Government released an air quality report in June 2006. It confirms that particulate pollution causes death and illness in Tasmania. It says that 8 people in Launceston die prematurely every year because of particulate pollution. The cost to the health system is $20 million.
OTHER GASES - will only affect those on mill site - or will they?
Apart from the infamous rotten eggs hydrogen sulphide it is on record that pulp mills can emit a number of gases including:
* Sulphur dioxide- the World's most damaging pollutant. The main cause of photochemical smog and acid rain.
* Carbon Disulphide - a powerful neurotoxin.
* Phenols and Acetalderhydes - Can affect children's development and cause cancer.
A survey done in Canada by residents (not the mill owners) found that levels of these chemicals were up to 5 times safe levels 10 kms from the mill in a valley situation. Most Canadian mills have, however, been around for a while.
Residents arrange own monitoring
Here are some more residents worried by pollution from a pulp mill. This link describes how dangerous these gases are:
Discussion of dangers of gases from pulp mill
IIS: According to the IIS, the only problem the mill will have is that NO2 emissions will probably break the RPDC guidelines. This because of the use of gas which has a higher nitrogen content than other fuels. It also says that 'the environmental benefits of increased electricity generation have not been addressed and do not show in the nitrogen oxide levels' and 'there are no provisions for nitrogen oxide levels when pulping softwood'.It says it is better to use gas as it has other environmental advantages over alternative fuels. Consequently Gunns are asking the RPDC to revise the guidelines up by 30%. Unfortunately, NO2 is the gas that affects Asthma the most. 9.8% of West Tamar residents suffer from Asthma. IIS: The emissions otherwise come in under the guidelines. According to computer modelling, air pollution in the Tamar valley should only increase by 3% and the effect on Launceston will be negligable. Comment: So Gunns want a higher limit because they are going to burn more wood in their power station (and so make more money) and they call that an environmental benefit. They are also using softwood which was not provided for in the guidelines and it looks as though this will cause more pollution as well.IIS: It is imperative that the mill emissions do not add significantly to the pollutant levels in the Tamar valley airshed. It claims that the stack, 190 metres above sea level, together with the speed of the gases will result in the emissions rising above low inversion layers for at least part of the time. This mixing effect would be greatest during the day.
Comment: Some opponents are claiming that the proposed limit for particulates into the atmosphere is too high and fails to meet national environmental standards. IIS-Supplementary air quality modelling: This includes the figures from Gunns weather station at Rowella 12 months data. This largely agrees with the GDH report but admits that modelling can only predict averages and not specific levels at specific locations. The mill emit 0.34kg/Adt sulphur (about 1000kgs/day)and 1.67kgs/Adt NOx (about 5000kgs/day). Some of the charts are a bit confusing especially figure 4.16 which shows the background level plus the mill to be lower than the background level in several locations - which of course is impossible. It does admit that when air particulate levels are low in Launceston (ie Summer), it will increase them by 30%. They argue that the resulting levels are still low compared with Winter but in the Summer, people tend to be outside during the day and leave windows open whilst in Winter they are inside with the windows shut. Comment: Opponents have said that modelling an airshed as complicated as the Tamar valley with all its twists and turns, constrictions and arms cannot be done with just one weather station. The IIS admits that there is the possibility of pollutants pooling in wind stagnant areas of the valley. (The IIS also uses information from Bell Bay and T-Tree bend). There is a community perception that there have been some corners cut here to save costs and that the emissions cannot just vanish. An audit risk assessment by Professor Andrew Wadsley for the Greens concludes that gaseous and particulate emissions from the pulpmill will result in an extra 35 to 51 premature deaths a year. Another 5 extra deaths would be through log truck accidents. He also said that the monthly intake for people eating fish caught nearby would exceed the safe limit set by the Federal Government. The report on IIS commissioned by the RPDC from the CSIRO says that it is significantly flawed. It also says:* NOx guidelines broken by 30%. NOx cause Asthma, smog and acid rain. * TRS (odour) fails to meet RPDC and Dept. of Tourism and Environment guidelines at ground level. * Main chimney fails to meet engineeering standards.Here are some of the illnesses that can be caused by inhaling PM2.5 particulates:
* Birth defects—terminations, live defects, miscarriages. * Premature deaths of babies, infants and adults * T-lymphocyte diversion to lungs with depletion causes SIDS, cot deaths, autism, MS, GBS * Attention deficit and other behaviour problems. * Lower IQ & educational achievement down 2 years, worse GCSE grades * Asthma, COPD, viral & bacterial respiratory & other infections (especially boys) * Coronary heart disease, heart attacks, arteriosclerosis, strokes, SADS. * Diabetes type 2, sometimes type 1 ---note trebling under current government * Multiple chemical sensitivity with allergies & arthritis * ME, CFS, Hypothyroidism with low T3 level (adding to obesity) * Endometriosis and other hormone disruption. * Clinical depression & suicides, apathy, which increases the obesity problem. * CANCERS—nonHodgkins lymphoma, brain, breast, colon, lung, prostate, kidney, liver etc Breast cancer for example can be caused by faulty genes (2%), HRT (5%) radiation, OP pesticides/herbicides, and from chimneys—cadmium, dioxins (& similar), & PAHsClinical effects of PM2.5 by Dr. Dick van Steenis He also took time to write to the Mercury :
VERDICT: There will obviously be some pollution. It will break the RPDC guidelines on the NOx emissions. Gunns Ltd says it will have little effect. But surely the issue here is should we be building a large factory in a closed airshed where 100,000 people live now that we know that only small increases can impact on the health of local residents? We now know that even small levels of particulates can cause illness. This site was rejected in 1989 for precisely that reason.
Note: There is no inversion layer at Hampshire affecting population.
Sulphur dioxide is formed when hydrogen sulphide is burnt. It is also heavier
than air
and highly poisonous but you cannot smell it. Regarded as one of the World’s
worst
pollutants it is produced by most heavy industries.
When it mixes with water in the atmosphere it can return to earth as acid
rain which
damages plants and crops. In the atmosphere it causes smog especially when
mixed
with particulates. The pulp will emit 300kgs of particulates a day.
Sulphur dioxide is particularly harmful to asthmatics.
This is a powerful neurotoxin associated with behavioural disorders, memory loss, and elevated risks of suicide.
There is an increased risk for those taking oral contraceptives.
