Future Sooner will compile a report to go to all levels of government following its recent Citizens Inquiry into pollution from burning coal, which unearthed disturbing health stories from long and short-term residents living near Eraring and Vales Point power stations.
Panel Chair Dr Ian Charlton said there were stories presented of life-threatening asthma, emphysema, respiratory disease and bowel, brain, blood, breast, sinus, throat and mouth cancers.
“People are worried that the coal-fired power stations are making them sick, and the government is silent,” he said.
“Impacted communities were promised a public health study as the outcome of a Parliamentary Inquiry in 2022 but nothing has been done.
“Some of the stories are overwhelming.”
One resident, Corinne, said she, her husband and family had had active healthy lifestyles.
Both she and her husband received cancer diagnoses, and their very healthy daughter was diagnosed with asthma as a teenager.
Another attendee, Steve, said his perfectly healthy grandmother died of emphysema 15 years after moving to Budgewoi.
His father moved up from Sydney to look after her only to develop emphysema and cancer himself.
In the past 12 months his aunt had oral cancer removed.
Steve moved up from Sydney to look after his father and his aunt and now he has developed oral cancer and an auto-immune condition doctors cannot trace to a cause.
He said four of his dogs died from rare cancers.
The Inquiry heard that some people had been intimidated because, as part of their previous employment, they had to sign non-disclosure agreements.
One anonymous witness described being a non-drinker and non-smoker living within a few kilometres of Munmorah power station and being diagnosed with throat cancer which metastasized to lymph nodes and lungs.
Another told about a man who had worked at both Vales Point and Eraring power stations who was diagnosed with severe asthma and blood cancer.
Charlton said there was a mountain of evidence already in the public domain from reliable sources about the health impacts of micro-particulate pollution and heavy metals and the Citizens Inquiry had given the community its first chance to tell their stories about how it affected their health.
“As there is only one major industry on the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie – coal-fired power stations – given the number of respiratory and cancer diseases that were presented to the Inquiry, on the grounds of probability one must point the finger to Eraring and Vales Point power stations,” he said.
“We will now take all the evidence gathered and from our intensive ongoing research of the impacts from coal fired power stations and their ash dams and put together a report.
“Our final report will involve all levels of government as well as international organisations such as the United Nations and World Health Organisation.
“The panel will work hard to produce a report that reflects both experiences and the evidence and make recommendations that benefits the community.
“Let’s hope the Citizens Inquiry recommendations, unlike (those of) the Coal Ash Inquiry, will be immediately implemented.”
Let’s hope that this meeting will produce good outcomes.