cleanairtas.com
E-mail Site last updated: 08/09/2008 Enter the Forum
Tasmania puts Forestry before Health
Fighting for our lives because of environmental smoke pollution.
This site has gone global, please visit BurningIssues.org
Deliberately lit forestry
fires (planned burns/logging burns/plantation burns) produce large quantities
of smoke across Tasmania, Australia which people are forced to breathe.
This is causing misery to many people in
the short term,
and the long term effects on the whole Tasmanian population are huge.
Millions of dollars are spent annually
educating people about the harmful effects of cigarette smoke and yet Tasmanians are being
made to 'smoke' this forestry residue.
(A study for the US EPA, using tumour initiation
tests on mice and Ames tests on bacteria,
concluded that woodsmoke was 12 times as mutagenic (likely to cause cancer)
as the same quantity of tobacco smoke.)
Our own State Health Department and
Environment Minister are playing with our health.
Are our politicians in power, doing the right thing to protect people's health?
The answer of course is no.
This smoke is damaging you and your
family's health and our environment.
Our Health Department and Environment Division should be
especially concerned about small-particle pollution.
The tiniest particles can penetrate past the body's immune defences, travelling deep into
the lungs
and the bloodstream causing all sorts of other health problems you would never connect had
come from this smoke.
Clean air
is one of our most precious resources, essential for our survival and quality of life.
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If you are a non-smoker, then why are you
being made to inhale forestry's harmful smoke?
Not many internet sites or studies would say forestry smoke is good for your health.
Planned burns must come to an immediate
end now, forever.
Forestry are not even interested in the tons of wood
they burn or the tons of smoke they release.
From information released under Freedom of Information:-
Between the 28/3/2008 and 4/7/2008 Forestry Tasmania conducted 536 planned burns.
Between the 28/3/2008 and 4/7/2008 the private forests conducted 450 planned burns.
Some of these burns lasted for days and smouldered much longer.
There are other smokeless methods available to forestry to get rid of their rubbish.
Our health does not fit in with forestry's polluting timetable.
Forestry smoke causes distress, and
eventually death.
For this reason there can be no more deals or compromises being done to allow forestry
planned burns to continue.
When it comes to Tasmanian's health this should be non negotiable.
Fine particle pollution from the smoke of
burnt logging rubbish, poses a significant health threat for some of the most vulnerable
people in our community. Children, adolescents, seniors, people with asthma and chronic
lung diseases, people with chronic heart disease and diabetics are most at risk, but this
effects you too.
Our government has had years to fix this harmful pollution. They don't need more time to
look at the problem.
Why should we be forced into our
'shelters' while forestry fire bomb us from outside.
I believe it is a basic human right to be able to breathe clean air and to go outside as
we wish.
Enough is enough!
*** OPERATION SMOKE WATCH ***
A trial is being conducted in Northern Tasmania with regards to any large smoke pollution.
Tell cleanairtas where it is coming from.
If you consider the smoke a health worry ring the:
Public & Environmental Health Service 1800 671 738 (24 Hours a day/7 Days a week) and lodge a complaint.
And
The Environment Division on 1800 005 171 (24 hours/7 days a week.) and lodge a complaint.
Then please e-mail cleanairtas the details, ie, date, time, duration of burn, wind direction if you can, etc.
Take good photos if applicable, date them and store them safely, or upload them to the Forum
(If you are unsure how to do this, email them to cleanairtas and it can be done for you).
Thank you for your participation. It is YOUR health, your LIFE.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of material for this website,
we do not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions nor for
the result of actions taken on the basis of this information.
Note: The word "forestry" refers to the whole forestry industry, not only to Forestry Tasmania.
How to deal with troublesome smoke: http://woodburnersmoke.net
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