Environmental health concerns in the Hunter

The Hunter is a highly industrialised region of New South Wales. Increasing industrial development, and proposals for new development lead to community groups raising concern about cumulative health impacts in the region. To assess the environmental health concerns of Hunter stakeholders we surveyed 665 randomly selected residents of the Hunter over 15 years of age, the Environmental Health managers in all 11 local councils and members of the Area Health Services Health Councils. Air pollution was the major concern among all three groups followed by water pollution. Motor vehicle emissions were the primary source of concern. Environmental health concerns varied significantly by local government area and appeared to be influenced by both road traffic density and large industrial emitters such as coal mines and power stations.