NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer Mary O’Kane is putting the finishing touches to a much-anticipated report on the impact of coal dust pollution on the Hunter Region’s coal transport corridor.
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Professor O’Kane said the report, which was due to be delivered last March, would be finished “soon”.
“Our reports normally come out on time, but this has proven to much more complex than we expected,” Ms O’Kane said.
“It’s close to the end; we just want to get it exactly right.”
Professor O’Kane released an interim report on the matter last December.
We have sent hundreds of photos to the chief scientist’s office to prove that this is a significant issue.
- Correct Planning for Mayfield spokesman John Hayes
The report said that more work was required to determine what effect uncovered coal wagons had on air quality and human health.
The report identified significant knowledge gaps in the area of coal dust and related emissions along the coal supply chain.
Hunter community groups, which have been lobbying for tighter pollution control measures along the coal transport corridor, expressed frustration that the dust impact report was still pending.
“We have sent hundreds of photos to the chief scientist’s office that show clear evidence of coal falling off the wagons and about to fall off the wagons,” Correct Planning for Mayfield spokesman John Hayes said.
A NSW Minerals Council report released earlier this year concluded there was a low risk of dust blowing off loaded train wagons in normal conditions.
The finding was based on wind tunnel testing conducted by Introspec Consulting at the TUNRA laboratories at the University of Newcastle.
The testing involved placing sample trays of coal in a wind tunnel.
The amount of dust that lifted off during the testing was measured through the difference in mass and moisture content of the coal before and after testing.
The results from that testing aligned with previous wind tunnel testing of different NSW coal types and observations of dust lift-off at different wind speeds.
Those wind-tunnel studies found the risk of coal dust blowing off wagons was low because of the coal’s moisture content.