By MARLENE MILLOTT
THERE is community concern over the impact that open air burning has on human health in the Dandenong Ranges.
Olinda resident David Chauval is concerned about the exposure of Dandenong Ranges residents to harmful carcinogens when they breathe in smoke that comes from open air burning. He cites World Health Organisation findings that reveal a connection between air pollution and cancer-causing substances.
Mr Chauval in particular cites a WHO report from last year that found sufficient evidence that outdoor pollution causes lung cancer.
“The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances,” Dr Kurt Straif, from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer said in a statement.
“We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths.”
Mr Chauval asks the Dandenong Ranges community to consider current open air burning practices and question whether they are safe.
“How many of you have suffered from, or are suffering from, serious medical conditions such as stroke or cancer that may be, based on the WHO’s findings, linked to outdoor air pollution? How often have you witnessed breaches the Yarra Ranges Council’s Open Air Burning Local Laws without any accountability?” he asks.
“Frankly, no one should have the right to unreasonably pollute the air that we all have to breath.”
In addition to health concerns, Mr Chauval is worried about the impact on tourism in the area. He believes efforts to promote the Dandenong Ranges as a beautiful destination for dining and recreation is under threat.
“These efforts are thwarted when there are heavy layers of noxious smoke that affect the views and smell like ‘eau de bushfire’.”
Mr Chauval, who has been lobbying the local council to change the Open Air Burning Law, said he was told there were no plans to change the law.
He is calling on the local council to strengthen regulations on open air burning, and look into alternative measures of bushfire fuel reduction.
Current Yarra Ranges Council restrict the days and conditions in which residents that live in residential bushland and rural areas can burn off.
Residents in urban areas are not permitted to burn off at all. For more information on these regulations, see the Yarra Ranges Council website.
The Yarra Ranges Council was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline.
