The Wire

Whyalla in northern South Australia is a very red town – covered in red dust from the steelworks that have been operating there for sixty years. The dust has always been an issue for residents and a health report released yesterday showed the the town has an alarmingly higher than average rate of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases State Greens MP and environmental lawyer Mark Parnell says the town has a documented history of unhealthy levels of air pollution…. But although the health report admits a link between disease and dust, Whyalla mayor Jim Pollock isn’t sure that dust is really the culprit . The release of the Whyalla Health Impact report has been interesting timing It has come out just as the company that runs the steel operation, One Steel, has put into place the first serious attempt to keep dust away from residents. Ted Kittle has worked for years with the Red Dust Action Group and he says as much as he would like to be able to link health issues to the dust he can’t without more proof.