PARENTS and educators in Yarraville are distressed by new research linking traffic pollution with poor respiratory health in children.
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) report, released last week, found exposure to air pollution could have long-term impacts on the health of children and infants.
The study of 2860 children aged seven to 11 from 55 schools nationwide linked truck exhaust fumes with an increase in asthma and bronchitis and a decrease in lung function.
Clare Court Kindergarten director Catherine Cenandez-Button said there was a clear duty of care to act on the findings. She said visitors often commented on the smell of diesel and a hazy environment. “The fact that we have become accustomed to it is a problem. The amount of children with allergies is the highest I’ve ever experienced in the early-years field,” she said.
Ms Cenandez-Button said the cost of measures such as upgrading infrastructure to take trucks off Francis Street would be offset by the reduction in healthcare costs.
Yarraville West Primary School council president Lisel Thomas said she hoped the report spurred government action.
Victorian Asthma Foundation chief executive Robin Ould said: “We would certainly believe that funding should be used in planning for infrastructure or [there should be] a change to times when vehicles can be used on major routes.”
Western Suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland is calling for a health impact assessment of inner-west truck hotspots.
Health Minister David Davis said: “It is important to state that this is a complex study. I will ask my department to analyse it in some detail and give me formal advice on the matter.”
