Purple push to make Coast’s air cleaner

Hard on the heels of the Future Sooner final report of its Citizens’ Inquiry Untold Stories, residents living near Vales Point and Eraring coal-fired power stations have been granted free access to PurpleAir sensors.

“Future Sooner lobbied the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to make the PurpleAir sensors available for free (and residents) immediately began installing them,” Future Sooner spokesperson Gary Blaschke said.

“Two families – at Mannering Park and Lake Munmorah – were the first to install them.

“The Developing Dreams Early Learning Centre at Chain Valley Bay has also installed a monitor.

“There are currently 11 of these dust monitors around Lake Macquarie and Budgewoi lakes and now the EPA is inviting members of the public to become citizen scientists and install their own PurpleAir sensors, something Future Sooner is certainly encouraging.

“The EPA tells us these sensors count the number of particles in the air in a range of sizes that are then used to estimate the amounts of PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10 in micrograms per cubic metre.

“Those measurements can finally be used to estimate the PM2.5 Air Quality Index.

“According to the Australian Government’s own data PM2.5 is the most hazardous pollution to health.

“Unfortunately, the particulate measurements (gathered by) the PurpleAir sensors cannot be used to change legislation.

“Currently there are only three air quality monitoring sites where data can be used officially – at Morisset, in the Lower Hunter and on the Central Coast.

“None of these locations is ideal.”

Blaschke said that the EPA acknowledged that “the main sources of air emissions in the Lake Macquarie/Wyong area are from electricity generation plants at Eraring and Vales Point (and previously Lake Munmorah)”.

“The NSW Government and the EPA are fully aware of the government data that shows above-average rates of cancers, asthma and other respiratory conditions directly and irrefutably related to the nearby power stations and ash dams,” Blaschke said.

He said that the government had done nothing to implement the recommendations of the Untold Stories report, which was released a month ago.

“If you’re living near Vales Point or Eraring, I’d happily wager that you know neighbours, friends or family members who have asthma, lung diseases, even multiple cancers,” he said.

“While the government continues to allow these privately-owned power stations to pollute your air, and drags its feet on transitioning to clean energy and fixing the coal mess, we’re encouraging residents to take action.

“While a PurpleAir fix is not enough, the more residents who ask for the PurpleAir sensors, the stronger the message to the EPA and politicians that we are not prepared to live with unknown and undocumented amounts of air pollution.”

Future Sooner is currently conducting an Untold Stories Roadshow – visiting local groups and organisations to present the findings from its Citizens’ Inquiry into the health impacts of coal-fired power stations.

For more information email futuresoonernsw@gmail.com

If you would also like a PurpleAir Sensor Future Sooner can help you liaise with the EPA.