The coal ash Grim Reaper

For more than five decades the operators of the former Lake Munmorah power station and now Vales Point and Eraring power stations have accumulated  well over one million tonnes of the toxic substance fly ash, which has been further contaminated by the illegal dumping of asbestos and other unknown substances, according to a 2021 EPA Clean-Up Notice.

 

Stored in open unlined dams called lakes and disguised by a tree lined boarder, this cocktail of toxic substances and heavy metals regularly blows over local townships or leaches into waterways, adding to human health issues and environmental disasters.

2 August 2023

ALAN HAYES

 

COAL-FIRED power has long been associated with air pollution and climate change. But coal-fired power stations produce another insidious waste problem, hidden in plain sight. Coal ash is one of Australia’s biggest waste problems, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the entire nation’s waste stream. It is toxic and, if not strictly disposed of, can contaminate air, soil and water and lead to serious health and environmental impacts.

 

The Grapevine has reported on this a number of times and the health problem coal ash poses to residents living in the northern suburbs of the Central Coast.

 

When coal is burnt to make electricity, it produces mountains of toxic ash waste. At most coal-fired power stations, which includes Vales Point an Eraring, coal ash is mixed with saline wastewater and pumped into enormous dump sites creating a lethal cocktail of mercury, lead, arsenic, selenium and chromium (‘wet disposal’). This toxic slurry has leaked into our aquifers and into our lakes and waterways, causing regular fish kills and where our families fish and our children swim, and has leached into our soil and the environment.

 

When coal ash (fly ash) it is left to dry out, winds can blow the toxic dust onto nearby communities where people breathe toxic pollution deep into their lungs. The toxins in coal ash have been linked to asthma, heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and stroke. Although the health impacts of air pollution are becoming more well known, little research has been done in Australia on the health and environmental impacts from contact with or consumption of water and soil contaminated by toxins in coal ash.

 

The communities in the north of the Central Coast, where people that live near coal-fired power stations are at a continuous and serious risk serious risk of terminal health problems. Despite this, government regulators allow ash dumps to be built and operated in a way that does not prevent groundwater contamination, surface water contamination, pipeline spills, and community exposure to toxic dust emissions.

 

So, why aren’t our politicians and government taking coal-ash-related heath issues seriously. They puff out their chests and will tell communities that they are taking a positive stance to address the issue but all our communities get is hot air – blowing ash across the landscape into people’s lives and impacting on the nervous system, causing cognitive defects, developmental delays, and behavioural problems, while also increasing a person's chance of developing lung disease, kidney disease, and gastrointestinal illness.

 

Even with best practice methods, coal ash as cannot be disposed of safely – a significant contamination risk to the environment and communities are extremely high. Why? Because regulation is substandard and wholly inadequate.

 

Regulators don’t require the reporting of information for community scrutiny without resorting to Freedom of Information, and then, in most cases, the provided information is heavily redacted.

 

To rub salt into the proverbial wound, power station operators aren’t required to maintain a bond or financial assurance for toxic coal ash dumps nor to prepare best-practice rehabilitation and closure plans, and have not planned for future monitoring and maintenance of ash dumps into the future. And the problem is further exacerbated by Vales Point and Eraring operators wanting to extend the life of their aging behemoths, despite the EPA determining that coal ash increases a person’s risk of developing cancer and other respiratory diseases.

 

The sheer amount of fly ash that exists is the problem!

 

While a lot of attention is given to the mining and burning of coal that leads to huge carbon emissions, the dangers of fly ash, the residue left after coal is burnt in thermal power plants, have received less public attention, despite the risks to our health and to the environment.

 

Health effects of toxic constituents found in coal ash:

 

Lead: The direct exposure to lead can cause major damage to the nervous system. Lead exposure can lead to kidney disease, hearing impairment, high blood pressure, delays in development, swelling of the brain, hemoglobin damage, and male reproductive problems. Both low levels and high levels of lead exposure can cause harm to the human body.

 

Cadmium: The direct exposure to high levels of cadmium is hazardous to the health. More specifically, the lungs directly absorb cadmium into the bloodstream. When humans are exposed to cadmium over a long period of time, kidney disease and lung disease can occur. In addition, cadmium exposure can be associated with hypertension, and chronic exposure of cadmium can cause bone weakness, which increases the risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis.

 

Chromium: The direct exposure to chromium (VI) is hazardous to health. High levels of chromium in drinking water can cause ulcers in the small intestine and stomach when ingested. Skin ulcers can also occur when the exposure to chromium occurs through the skin.

 

Arsenic: When high amounts of arsenic is inhaled or ingested through coal ash waste, diseases such as bladder cancer, skin cancer, kidney cancer and lung cancer can develop. Ultimately, exposure of arsenic over a long period of time can cause mortality. Furthermore, low levels of arsenic exposure can cause irregular heartbeats, nausea, diarrohea, vomiting, peripheral neuropathy and vision impairment.

 

Mercury: Chronic exposure of mercury from coal ash can cause harm to the nervous system. When mercury is inhaled or ingested various health effects can occur such as vision impairment, seizures, numbness, memory loss and sleeplessness.

 

Boron: When coal ash dust is inhaled, the exposure of boron can cause discomfort in the throat, nose and eye - when coal ash waste is ingested, boron exposure can be associated with kidney, liver, brain, and intestine impairment.

 

Molybdenum: When molybdenum is inhaled from coal ash dust, discomfort of the nose, throat, skin and eye can occur. As a result, short-term molybdenum exposure can cause an increase of wheezing and coughing - chronic exposure of molybdenum can cause loss of appetite, tiredness, headaches and muscle soreness.

 

Thallium: The exposure of thallium in coal ash dust can cause peripheral neuropathy when inhaled. Furthermore, when coal ash is ingested, thallium exposure can cause diarrohea and vomiting. In addition, thallium exposure is also associated with heart, liver, lung and kidney complications.

 

Silica: When silica is inhaled from coal ash dust, fetal lung disease or silicosis can develop and chronic exposure can cause lung cancer. Exposure to silica over a period of time can cause loss of appetite, poor oxygen circulation, breathing complications and fever.

 

To help deal with the continuing problem of coal ash, including the coal-ash-related health issues in the Central Coast’s northern suburbs, the United Nations will be visiting the district in late September to examine the impact of coal ash on community health.

 

Gary Blaschke, from the Central Coast’s Future Sooner Group, said, “The community will have the opportunity to hear key note speakers from our community groups who have taken up the challenge for a healthier coast when the United Nations representative meet at Chain Valley Community Hall on Tuesday 29th August from 1pm.”

 

For further information contact Future Sooner Spokesperson Gary Blaschke on 0424 890 455.