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.
Ms Cenandez-Button 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.
“There is a message that walking to school is going to be good for the health of kids and it’s something we try and encourage, yet we have parents who are worried the trucks are damaging their kids’ health. This shows the government it’s not an option any more; something must be done.”
Victorian Asthma Foundation chief executive Robin Ould said: “We would certainly believe that funding should be used in future planning for infrastructure, or [there should be] a change to times when vehicles are used on major routes.”
Western Suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland is calling for a health impact assessment of inner-west truck hotspots.
“The inner-west community is exposed to the pollution of more than 21,000 trucks every single day and the evidence is piling up that it’s making us sick,” she said.
Health Minister David Davis said: “It’s important to state that this is a complex study. It will require analysis. I will ask my department to analyse it in some detail and give me formal advice on that matter.”
