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Category: Pollution / Building and Construction / Environment / Health

Port Augusta ash cloud needs 'more testing', chemist warns

Saturday, 7 Jan 2017 12:32:40

A cloud of ash rises from the former Port Augusta power station. (Supplied: Port Augusta City Mayor Sam Johnson)

More testing is required to ascertain any health risks posed by an ash cloud coming from the former Port Augusta power station, a former industrial chemist has said.

A thick haze of ash from the former station has covered the regional city for the past week after storms broke the crust of the existing dust suppressant.

Flinders Power warned that hot and windy weather on Saturday would trigger further issues despite an aerial operation to apply more suppressant to the area.

Ash cloud at former Port Augusta power station Photo: A cloud of ash rises from the former Port Augusta power station. (Supplied: Port Augusta City Mayor Sam Johnson)

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) earlier this week said there were not enough toxins in the dust to cause health concerns, but pointed out that breathing in fine dust could harm people in its own right regardless of toxicity levels.

A former chief chemist at Adelaide Brighton Cement, which once used fly-ash in its cement products, feared the risk to residents was being dismissed and wanted more testing done.

"It doesn't take very long to do the analysis, only a matter of days, and I think the fears of the Port Augusta residents are well founded," Ian Dyson said.

Fly-ash is a fine particle produced as a by-product at coal-fired power stations. It can cause skin irritation, severe eye damage and damage to lungs and the respiratory tract through prolonged or repeated exposure.

However, the State Government said the ash at Port Augusta was not fly-ash, but a coarser bottom ash.

The Opposition wants a taskforce established to deal with the issue so that Premier Jay Weatherill could ensure "all available resources were applied to this situation".

The Government said the EPA had conducted testing and while there was toxic potential in the ash, the concentration of toxic chemicals was low.

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