Air Quality in Association With Rural Coal Mining and Combustion in New South Wales Australia

Abstract

Purpose Rural areas may face under‐recognized threats to air quality. We tested 2 hypotheses that 1) rural areas in New South Wales, Australia, would have better air quality than metropolitan Sydney, and that 2) the rural Upper Hunter region characterized by coal mining and coal combustion would have worse air quality than other rural areas of the state. Methods We analyzed 2017 daily mean values for New South Wales, Australia, for particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and NOx (sum of NO and NO2). Forty‐six air monitoring stations were grouped into 6 rural and urban regional areas. Linear regression models examined pollution levels in association with rural and urban regions and meteorological covariates. Results Findings show that daily mean pollutant levels in the rural Upper Hunter were the highest of all regions, and were significantly higher than metropolitan Sydney, with and without control for weather conditions, for every pollutant. For example, daily mean PM2.5 was 8.64 µg/m3 in the rural Upper Hunter, compared to 7.23 µg/m3 in metropolitan Sydney. Conclusions Results highlight the need to consider both urban and rural sources of pollution in air quality studies, and appropriate policy steps to address likely rural air pollution from coal mining.

Air Pollution Emissions 2008–2018 from Australian Coal Mining: Implications for Public and Occupational Health

“…Emissions of NOx, particulate matter, and metals were significantly higher from coal mining sites than from other types of NPI sites. This air pollution affects community populations in the vicinity of mining sites, as estimated by emissions data from the NPI in the current study; by the results of our limited analysis of PM10 levels from community monitors; and as estimated by data from stationary community-based air quality monitors as previously reported [14]. PM10 emissions from coal mining sites are particularly noteworthy, accounting for over 42% of national PM10 emissions in the NPI database, but pollution from PM2.5, metals, and nitrogen oxides are also significant.…”

“…Surface mining in particular contributes to local air pollution [7][8][9], with documented genotoxic effects [8] and increased risks for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease, among community populations [10][11][12][13]. A recent study in Australia reported that air quality as measured by sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NOx), or particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 micrometers (PM10) or ≤2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) was significantly elevated in coal mining regions of New South Wales compared to other parts of the state [14].…”

Injustices at the air–energy nexus

“…Comparatively less discussed, however, are the more localized air pollution implications of fossil fuel extraction and electricity generation. This entails a multiplicity of effects, starting from the air pollution impacts of coal, oil and gas resource recovery (Ghose and Majee, 2000), with Hendryx et al (2019) arguing in favour of considering ‘both urban and rural sources of pollution in air quality studies, and appropriate policy steps to address likely rural air pollution from coal mining’ (p. 518). Gas flaring, for example, has been identified as a major contact point between energy activities and ambient air, by acting as ‘a prominent source of VOCs, CO, CO2, SO2, PAH, NOX and soot (black carbon), all of which are important pollutants which interact, directly and indirectly, in the Earth’s climatic processes’ (Fawole et al, 2016: 182).…”

Impacts of Coal Use on Health

“…Research evidence from the United States and other countries indicates that surface coal mining generates air, soil, and water pollution and likely harms the health of nearby populations (3,10,22,57,59,96,112,150). Much of the research in the United States has been conducted on a form of surface coal mining that takes place in Appalachia called mountaintop removal (MTR) (see the sidebar titled Mining in Appalachia).…”