Aussie bushfire haze a ‘health emergency’
O Medical groups call for urgent action to address hazardous air pollution
SYDNEY: Australia’s biggest city is facing a “public health emergency” over the bushfire smoke that has choked Sydney for weeks, leading doctors warned yesterday after hospitals reported a dramatic spike in casualty department visits.
Hundreds of climate changefuelled bushfires have been raging across Australia for months, with efforts to contain a “mega-blaze” burning north of Sydney destroying an estimated 20 homes overnight and fires near Perth threatening towns.
More than 20 medical groups including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, which represents 25,000 doctors and trainees, released a joint statement yesterday calling on Australia’s government to address the toxic air pollution.
“The air pollution in New South Wales (NSW) is a public health emergency,” the Climate and Health Alliance said.
“Smoke from bushfires has produced air pollution of up to 11 times the base ‘hazardous’ level in parts of Sydney and NSW.
“Bushfire smoke is particularly hazardous because of the high levels of tiny particles (PM2.5).”
The NSW state health department said it recorded a 48% increase in the number of people visiting hospital emergency rooms with respiratory problems in the week ending Dec 11 compared to the five-year average. Visits spiked 80% on Dec 10, when air quality plummeted across Sydney prompting up to 20,000 residents to march in protest the following day.
Meanwhile, a backburning operation intended to contain a massive wildfire in eastern Australia sparked out of control, damaging buildings and cutting off major roads, authorities said, as the country heads into another heatwave.
The accident occurred about 250km where firefighters were trying to stop a blaze of some 378,000ha reaching communities by employing pre-emptive controlled burning. –Agencies