Dust Up: Review of Harmful PM10 Dust Emissions in the Mackay ...

Dust Up: Review of Harmful PM10 Dust Emissions in theMackay Local Government AreaCoal Train into Hay Point 27 Dec 2012Mackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

performance; and built a project management office and aligned IT to deliver district solutions utilizing acommon industry framework, methodology and philosophy.“Jerome is a very strategic thinker who focuses on executional excellence and accountability for results.He puts his objectives and plans in writing and then measures against them. At The Atlanta PublicSchools he insisted on quality and documentation, and really the accountability of everyone,” said SusanObermeier, who worked with Mr. Oberlton as Atlanta Public Schools’ chief strategy officer. “And youknow how with someone very accountability oriented you often think, ‘Oh dread?’ Not with Jerome.Everybody loved to work with him.”Prior to joining Atlanta Public Schools, Mr. Oberlton worked in several capacities at General Electric,most recently as the company’s IT compliance officer. Before that, he worked at Kraft Foods. He beganhis career in IT as a programmer at Amoco Corp. in 1990“Mr. Oberlton comes to City Schools with an extensive background in IT that includes several years withanother large urban public school district that, like City Schools, is in the midst of reform and, like CitySchools, looked to data to drive its reform work and to technology to maximize its reform efforts,” Dr.Alonso said. “Mr. Oberlton’s history of building data warehouses and creating operational and costefficiencies will hugely benefit City Schools. His arrival will help push the district into a new realm ofaccountability and complete focus on student achievement.”Mr. Oberlton holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Florida A&MUniversity in Tallahassee, FL, and a Masters in Business Administration in Finance and ManagementInformation Systems from DePaul University in Chicago, IL. He completed the Executive LeadershipDevelopment program at Harvard University’s JFK School of Government, and is a member of the MetroAtlanta CIO Council and a program leader for the United Way of Atlanta.“The challenges Baltimore’s leadership is wrestling with are very similar to the challenges we faced inAtlanta. The collection of data and the nimbleness and agility of using data pose a huge set of challenges.My job will be to craft solutions that address those challenges,” Mr. Oberlton said. “I look forward to thework ahead. Besides, determining how to marry technology to the needs of the classroom and to helpstudents perform at higher levels—and particularly in urban education—is just a big interest of mine.”-30-

Executive Summary:The objectives of this study were to show the contribution from the Hay Point port lands coalterminals to the area’s industrial sources of harmful PM10 particulates; how far visible PM10 coaldust is travelling (as measured by North Queensland Bulk Ports); how often it is settling in monitoredresidential areas; and to question extensive further coal port expansion (as planned in the draftQueensland Ports Strategy) given annual average PM10 measurements for the Mackay localgovernment area are close to exceeding the World Health Organisation’s air quality guideline of 20µg/m³ and the hazardous coal dust component of PM10 emissions from the ports would increasesignificantly .Air quality monitoring of dust in Mackay consists of ambient (outside) air quality measurementsreported as average hourly, daily and annual PM10 particulates designed to provide a measure of“average” air quality conditions across the air shed of the Mackay local government area. This isseparate from point and fugitive sources of dust emissions such as those produced from industrialsources, and additional dust deposition monitoring which may be done by an industry. Anothermajor source of particulates, transportation, was not considered in this review.Ambient annual average PM10 particulate dust levels from 2000-2012 at West Mackay monitoringstation were consistently above those monitored in the Brisbane CBD. Mackay’s dust levels wereabove the World Health Organisation guideline from 2000-2009 and remained high, falling justbelow that guideline from 2010-2012 following transfer of the monitoring station to a site morerepresentative of ambient air quality for the Mackay local government area.PM10 particulate emissions from industries in the Mackay local government area are reportedannually by industries exceeding trigger thresholds to the Australian government’s NationalPollution Inventory. The current two coal port terminals, Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point in the HayPoint port lands, contributed twenty-seven per cent of the total industrial sources of these point andfugitive source emissions for 2011-2012.Dust deposition data for the existing Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point coal terminals is collectedmonthly by HLA-Envirosciences Pty Ltd for North Queensland Bulk Ports and analysed in the lab forpercentage of coal dust i.e. visible dark particulates greater than one per cent. Between 2000-2012coal dust deposition was recorded in 98 per cent of the measurements for a residential site at LouisaCreek within a few hundred metres of the Hay Point coal stockpiles, declining to 40 per cent at 2kmfrom the stockpiles and a few per cent at Grasstree Beach 8.25km from the stockpiles.Mackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

Ambient Air Quality in the Mackay Local Government RegionAmbient (outside) air quality is recorded hourly in West Mackay by the Queensland Department ofEnvironment and Heritage. Data is reported online and includes average hourly 1 , daily 2 and annualPM10 particulates and is meant to represent the “average” outdoor air quality for the Mackay localgovernment region.Annual average PM10 particulate dust emissions recorded at West Mackay between 2000-2009exceeded the World Health Organisation guideline of 20 (µg/m³) for eight of those ten years andwere higher than values recorded in the Brisbane CBD for all years between 2000-2012 (Fig.1).The Queensland government in its annual background reports attributed the eight exceedances ofthe average annual WHO guideline at West Mackay between 2000-2009 to a variety of factorsincluding major dust storms in 2005 and 2009, agricultural sources, bushfires and the presence of acommercial soil operation near the monitoring station. 3 In 2010 the monitoring station was movedto a more rural location away from point and fugitive sources to provide data more representationof ambient conditions across the Mackay local government region. Average annual values fell (butnot greatly) below the WHO guideline of 20 µg/m³ i.e. 18.5 µg/m³ – 2010, 19.8 5 µg/m³ – 2011, and17.8 µg/m³ - 2012 (Fig. 2). This suggests that the air shed is approaching capacity for PM10particulates and that further large man-made dust sources should not be introduced unless currentlevels can be reduced or additional inputs can be confined to their sources.Fig. 1 Annual average PM10 Dust Particulate Values (µg/m³) in West Mackay and Brisbane CBD 2000-1012compared to the World Health Guideline of 20 µg/m³.1http://ehp.qld.gov.au/air/data/search.php2http://ehp.qld.gov.au/air/data/airchart.php?station_id=mac&parameter_id=18&day=26&month=03&year=2013&hour=01&day2=26&month2=03&year2=2013&hour2=24&mode=measurement&zoom=day&auto=Autoscaled&scale=&category_id=1&formtype=winddirection&chart_type=Linear&submit=Generate+Graph3Ambient air quality in Queensland (year) annual summary and trend reports. Available online athttp://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/air/reports/reports.html Data from 2007 to 2012 is available upon request fromthe Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts (DSITIA).Mackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

Fig. 2 Average Annual Ambient Air Quality for the Mackay Local Government Area 2000-2012 (West MackayAir Quality Monitoring Station)Industrial Point and Fugitive Sources of PM10 Dust Particulates in the MackayLocal Government RegionThe National Pollution Inventory produced by the Australian government reports on substanceemissions from industries in the area covered by the Mackay Local Government Area. 4 The data isprovided by the industries when emissions are above trigger levels. In 2011 to 2012 twelveindustries reported their estimated PM10 dust particulate emissions (Table 1).The largest source was from the sugar processing industries comprising the mills at Farleigh, Marianand Racecourse and the Sucrogen Plane Creek Distillery totalling 1,112,100 kg. The second largestsource was from the two coal terminals at Hay Point. They reported 501,000 kg, which is 45 per centof what the sugar industry reported. PM10 particulate emissions from the Hay Point and DalrympleBay coal terminals in the Hay Point port lands were 27 per cent of the total industrial sources. TheHay Point coal terminal at 430,000 kg was the largest single industrial point and fugitive PM10emissions source in the Mackay local government area.4http://www.npi.gov.au/npidata/action/load/facility-source-result/criteria/lga/289/destination/ALL/sourcetype/ALL/subthreshold-data/Yes/substance-name/All/year/2012Mackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

Table 1. Largest Industrial Sources of PM10 Particulates in the Mackay Local Government Area 2011-2012IndustryPM10 (kg)Hay Point Coal Terminal 430,000Boral Resources 40,000Mackay Asphalt Plant, Farleigh 30,000Hanson Construction – Farleigh35,000QuarryFarleigh Sugar Mill 320,000Marian Sugar Mill 201,000Racecourse Sugar Mill 330,000QR National – Jilalan Rail Yard, Sarina 21Stanwell Corp. Ltd – Mackay Gas12TurbineSucrogen Plane Creek 250,000Thomas Borthwick & Sons (Aust) -140meatworksDalrymple Bay Coal Terminal 71,000TOTAL 1,707,173Source: National Pollution Inventory (online Australian government database)Port Growth and Rise in PM10 Particulate EmissionsNorth Queensland Bulk Ports (NQBP) in its 2012 annual report stated that between 2011 and 201282.884 million tonnes of coal was exported through the Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point coal terminalsat the Port of Hay Point. If the two Dudgeon Point coal terminals are approved the capacity of thePort of Hay Point is planned to increase by 20 million tonnes initially to 170 million tonnes perannum of coal exports, and to 340 million tonnes within 20 years. Add in additional PM10 emissionsfrom three industrial hubs proposed between Mackay and Hay Point to support the Port and in 20years they are likely to be the largest source of particulate emissions in the Mackay region.For example assuming the increase in PM10 particulates from operations with the port lands is inline with the increase in coal exports, there would be 1,027,050 kg of PM10 particulates emittedfrom the port lands during the initial phase of the Dudgeon Point coal expansion i.e.((170 Mtpa/82.884Mtpa x (430,000 + 71,000 kg PM10)).Similarly by the time the Dudgeon Point coal terminals were completed in 20 years’ time, PM10emissions from the port lands could be 4.1 times greater than in 2011-2012 at 2,054,100 kg. Theport lands would be by far the largest point source of PM10 particulates in the Mackay localgovernment area.The 2013 Mackay Regional Council’s draft Planning Scheme states that three industrial hubs areproposed in the future along the coast between Mackay and Hay Point. One of these will be atransport hub. They will be significant additional sources of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate emissions.As the prevailing winds in this region are from the south-east, this will mean far greater particulatesMackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

pollution falling over Bakers Creek and Mackay from the port lands and the associated industrial andtransport hubs.NQBP has begun PM10 and PM2.5 monitoring at McEwens Beach but only plans on one suchmonitoring station which will be mobile. It is not planning to monitor ground level ozone precursors.That is insufficient to gather enough data to measure off-site increases and impacts. Health impactsneed to be measured and understood before any further coal export expansion proceeds.Visible PM10 Particulates Coal Dust Deposition on Residential Sites Surrounding Hay PointPort LandsCoal dust and diesel PM10 and smaller particulates, which are found in the fine dark particulates inthe dust deposition data collected by NQBP are more hazardous to health than other forms ofparticulates. They are associated with respiratory and heart diseases as well as cancer. The youngand elderly are the most susceptible.HLA-Envirosciences gathers monthly measurements of dust deposition from nine residential sitesnear the Hay Point port lands for NQBP. This data is analysed in their lab to determine percentage offine dark particulates, which are primarily coal dust and some incompletely burned carcinogenicdiesel particulates. NQBP provides this data in monthly reports available to the public. All records ofless than one per cent fine dark particulates were considered zero fine dark particulates andexcluded. The percentage of all records from 2000-2012 containing this form of dust for eachresidential area monitored was calculated and graphed against distance from the coal stockpiles(Fig.3). The locations of the residential and port monitoring sites are shown in Fig. 4.Fig.3 Percentage of Dust Deposition Records (200-2012) for Residential Sites around Hay Point and ControlSites at Grasstree Beach Containing Coal Dust.Percentages ranged from 98 per cent of all observations at the south-east end of the Louisa Creekcommunity within 250m from the nearest coal stockpile, to 40 per cent of all observations at 2 kmMackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

from the coal stockpiles, to just a few at Grasstree Beach, 8.25km from the coal stockpiles.Regrettably there are no measurements available for McEwens Beach, Bakers Creek and Mackay,where the prevailing south-easterly winds would blow dust farther and over more residential areas(Fig. 5).The percentages of coal dust falling on residential areas ranged from 1-30 per cent. Values less thanone per cent were considered to be zero per cent and not counted. Given that coal exports couldfirst double to 170Mtpa and then quadruple in 20 years to 340Mtpa it is reasonable to expect thatthese percentages of PM10 coal dust particulates would increase significantly. This is because coalrail lines will increase to eight, and much more coal would be unloaded and placed on conveyor beltsfor transport to the coal shipping. Coal dust would also be lost during loading the coal ships. The coalstock piles at Dudgeon Point will be up to 20 m high as they will sit on a 5m base above storm surgelevels. Their additional height means they will lose more coal dust than lower stock piles elsewherein Hay Point port lands.Fig. 4 Location of On-Site and Surrounding Residential Dust Deposition Monitored Sites at Hay Point.Mackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

Fig. 5 Proposed urban expansion downwind of the prevailing south-easterlies from the Hay Point Port Lands.Source: http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/resources/plan/miw/miw-regional-plan.pdf page 111.Planning NeedsAs there is no exposure level below which coal dust does not present a risk to health and the Port ofHay Point plans to run for at least 90 years, coal dust exposure would be higher, very long-term andmulti-generational in its health impacts 5 .As well as dealing with the issue of an air shed approaching capacity for dust particulate emissions,planners in state and federal government must evaluate the health risks of more major coal exportexpansion at Hay Point and decide if such expansion should proceed. These community health issuesare not specifically addressed in the draft Queensland Ports Strategy which aims to be the blueprintfor managing and improving the efficiency and environmental management of the state's portsnetwork over the next decade. 6The Ports of Hay Point, Mackay and Abbot Point are designated as Priority Port Development Areas(PPDAs). Hay Point and Mackay will comprise a single PPDA of two zones. The QueenslandGovernment will, as part of proposed ports legislation, prohibit capital dredging for the developmentof additional deepwater port facilities outside of the five PPDAs until 2024. Under the QueenslandPorts Strategy, ports declared to be PPDAs will be required to prepare leading practice master plans5B. Brunekreef and B. Forsberg. Review: Epidemiological evidence of effects of coarse airborne particles onhealth. European Respiratory Journal, 2005, Vol. 26, No.2 pp309-318http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/160558816http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/infrastructure-and-planning/queensland-ports-strategy.htmlMackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013

including and Environmental Management Framework (EMF), and will be subject to CumulativeImpact Studies.Summary and Submission on draft Queensland Ports StrategyIt is essential that impacts on air, noise, water pollution and community health from the coal portsbe understood and prevented through the EMF or a Health Impacts Assessment, and that includesthe impacts of particulates pollution, other toxics and and precursors to ground level hazardousozone pollution, such as oxides of nitrogen, sulphur oxides and volatile organic compounds onhuman health. Unfortunately current National Environmental Protection Measures (NEPM) forambient air quality are insufficient to protect communities from the adverse impacts of PM10 andfiner PM2.5 dust particulates (including coal dust for which there is no air quality standard). Weurge the community to make submissions on the strategy raising the need to ensure communityhealth is fully protected before any expansion occurs.The draft Queensland Ports Strategy does note the draft State Planning Policy (SPP). It states onpage 36 that the draft SPP aligns with and supports port master planning by ensuring developmentdoes not impact on the safe and efficient operation of Queensland’s ports, and that port operationsdo not result in unintended social and environmental impacts on communities surrounding ports.Human health impacts could be included in social impacts on communities, but would need toextend well beyond just the communities surrounding the ports, given the extent to which coal dustcan travel. If you are concerned about such impacts we urge you to put in a submission.Submissions on the draft Queensland Ports Strategy can be made in the following ways:1. Online survey ( http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/qpsonlinesurvey )2. Email: qldportsstrategy@dsdip.qld.gov.au(mailto:qldportsstrategy@dsdip.qld.gov.au )3. Post:Queensland Ports Strategy ManagerDepartment of State Development, Infrastructure and PlanningPO Box 15009City East QLD 4002Closing date for submissions is Friday, 13 December 2013.A written submission form ( http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/resources/form/draft-qps-writtensubmission-form.doc) ( 602 KB) is available and can be submitted by email, fax (07 3235 4563) orpost.Mackay Conservation Group. Dust Up Report. Oct 2013