Air pollution from trucks and buses is costing Australians about $6.2bn each year due to the health effects of exposure to vehicle exhaust, a University of Melbourne study has found.
Like cigarette smoke, heavy vehicle exhaust is a mixture of tiny toxic carbon particles and gases that cause inflammation when inhaled, and is associated with a wide range of respiratory, heart and other health impacts, according to Dr Clare Walter a health and policy researcher and an author of the study.
Most Australians are exposed to traffic pollution on a daily basis. Proximity to roads and truck routes increases the health risks and some groups, like children, elderly people and disadvantaged populations, are more vulnerable, especially if they live, work or attend school or childcare near major truck routes.
Heavy diesel vehicles like trucks and buses account for a disproportionate share of the problem, making up about 4% of the vehicle fleet but one quarter of exhaust-related pollution.
Researchers tallied the costs to the community – including premature mortality, hospital admissions, early onset asthma and lung cancer – ahead of expected changes to national heavy vehicle laws.
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“The overall cost is huge,” Walter said. “This is one of our biggest environmental health risks.”
The annual cost of $6.2bn was only the “tip of the iceberg”, the report said. It only counted the most severe health effects attributable to heavy vehicle exhaust.
The researchers have called for potential health impacts to be part of the decision-making process for heavy vehicle laws, noting it had been overlooked in policy options to date. They also sought to include a mechanism for removing older and highly polluting trucks from the roads.
Other recommendations included moving trucks away from residential areas, schools and childcare centres, moving freight on to rail, and accelerating the shift to electric and cleaner trucks and buses.
The report described children at one childcare centre, located near a major intersection, as being exposed to pollution levels equivalent to the smoke from eight cigarettes a day.
“That’s a terrifying thought for a parent,” said Laura Billings, a campaigner with Parents for Climate.
“We’ve been hearing from parents for a long time that they’re deeply worried about the air their children are breathing, particularly in these areas that are freight corridors. They can’t just move their kids from schools or childcare or their homes because they’re really connected to communities.”
It was a “huge concern” for parent of two, Emily Buckley, who lives in Sydney’s Maroubra Junction area.
“We don’t own a car, so we get around by foot, bike and scooter,” she said. That meant they were constantly exposed to traffic fumes.
“As a parent you want to give your kids the best childhood you can and the surroundings to flourish. But in such a densely trafficked area, so close to major trucking routes, you feel like you are really letting your kids down.”
