AN established link between diesel fumes and lung cancer has residents calling for urgent action to take trucks off residential inner-west streets.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a World Health Organisation body, has reclassified diesel exhaust as carcinogenic following a review of studies.
Residents living near Footscray and Yarraville streets with heavy truck traffic have long drawn a link between the trucks and ill health, a position supported by the WHO declaration.
Maribyrnong children have the state’s highest rate of hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, according to VicHealth.
IARC working group chairman Dr Christopher Portier said the scientific evidence was compelling and the conclusion was unanimous.
“Diesel engine exhaust causes lung cancer in humans. Given the additional health impacts from diesel particulates, exposure to this mixture of chemicals should be reduced worldwide.”
No guidelines have been provided on what levels of exposure are considered carcinogenic.
Maribyrnong Truck Action group spokesman Peter Knight said residents would keep pushing the government to build appropriate infrastructure to take trucks off local streets.
“We believe the findings by WHO vindicate the reason we have been asking them to do this and prove that it is dangerous to residents’ health.”
Mr Knight said the findings opened up interesting legal questions.
Greens MP Colleen Hartland said the government had to protect people’s health in the west.
“Now the government has to act on it quickly, they need to implement the Truck Action Plan, get freight onto rail and improve public transport.”
VicRoads vehicle management and safety director Don Hogben said particulate emission limits had been tightened for new diesel vehicles to less than one-tenth of what was permitted in the early 1990s.
“VicRoads works closely with local councils, the transport industry, local businesses and Victoria Police to manage truck movements in Melbourne’s western suburbs.”
He said the Truck Action Plan was being reviewed against the metropolitan planning strategy, transport solutions and an increase in rail freight.
The EPA is undertaking a 12-month program to monitor air pollution and noise levels from trucks and motor vehicles in Francis Street, Yarraville. It will
measure levels of air pollutants against current air quality standards.
-Benjamin Millar
