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COMEAP statement on open cast coal mining
operations
November 1999 |
- The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has considered
a report of a research study undertaken by Dr Tanja Pless Mulloli and
colleagues into the effects of open cast coal mining on the respiratory
health of children in five pairs of matched communities, one of each
pair being close to and one distant from open cast mining sites. The
study is of a high standard.
- The Committee agreed with the findings of the authors of the report
that:
- Open cast coal mining was associated with a small increase in
the mean concentration of airborne particles measured as PM10 in
areas close to open cast sites. This was due to an increased concentration
of shale; and
- The respiratory health of children living in communities close
to open cast sites was very similar to that of children living in
communities distant from such sites.
- Overall, the number of consultations made to general practitioners
was similar for children who lived close to open cast sites compared
to those who did not. However, there was a small increase in consultations
for respiratory, skin and eye conditions in those living close to open
cast sites in four of the five pairs of communities studied. Though
the increase was statistically significant, the average difference in
the number of consultations between the communities close to and distant
from open cast sites was small. In the absence of other evidence of
effects it is not possible to be certain that these differences were
due to open cast operations. In the fifth pair of communities consultation
rates were lowest in the community close to an open cast site but these
data were excluded because of the relatively few records available.
- The Committee noted that the increase in particle concentrations close
to open cast sites was not due to the release of coal particles but
was more likely due to earth moving and excavation. From a planning
perspective, the composition of the overburden is likely to be important:
shale, for example, is less likely to have an effect on health than
quartz. However, such increments in exposure to these materials as may
occur in local communities as a result of open cast mining operations
are most unlikely to have any detectable effects on health. Nevertheless,
the Committee recommended that efforts should continue to be made to
control the emission of particles from open cast sites.
- The Committee acknowledges that the short-term effects on children's
respiratory health seen in this study are small. From what is known
of the long-term effects of coal mining on the health of coalminers,
it is most unlikely that open cast sites would have any long-term effects
on the health of local communities. However, the Committee recommends
that as a precautionary measure, the modifications to the planning process
suggested by the authors be considered by the relevant planning authorities
and be incorporated in minerals planning guidance.
November 1999
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Download executive summary of
report (Do particulates from opencast coal mining impair children's
respiratory health?) in Portable Document Format (571K) 
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