I have provided a submission in the attached file.
Thank you for your time in reading it.

TO:
Director – Transport Assessments
MAJOR PROJECTS TEAM,
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Application Number: SSI 6136 MOD3
GPO Box 39,
SYDNEY NSW 2001

Please find below my submission in response to - EXHIBITION OF STATE SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE MODIFICATION REQUEST NORTHCONNEX(M1-M2) PROJECT- MODIFICATION- SS6136 MOD 3

Firstly I would like to state that I OBJECT to the modification request by RMS to amend condition of approval E-11- Ventilation Outlets-Limits. That is to modify the approved Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) limit from 1mg/m3 to 4 mg/m3.

As a mother of two girls attending school at the affected zone, I have a high level of concern regarding the following issues:

1. The increased level of VOC's from 1mg/m3 to 4mg/m3 will increase the concentrations of emissions from the northern ventilation stack in a densely populated residential area in Wahroonga, where 9,300 school children will be exposed, as well as multiple aged care facilities, hospitals, businesses and homes.

2. I am highly concerned about the multiple large scale research studies that suggest the impacts of air pollutants on health are serious. These include increased death from heart disease, increased risks of lung cancer, stroke, poor lung growth in children, increased asthma, and recent research suggesting low birth weight for pregnant women, increased autism, and congenital heart defects. These studies confirm air pollutants have prothrombotic and inflammatory effects on humans which cause the above health problems. Specifically, many of the VOC's, including benzene and formaldehyde from vehicle exhaust, are classified as Group 1 carcinogens to humans (IARC 2009). When VOC's and NOx react in the presence of sunlight, ozone is formed. In the short term, exposure to ozone can result in reduced lung function and exacerbation of asthma and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as irritation and inflammation of eyes, nose, throat and lower airways. In the long term, as well as causing cancer, there is a growing body of evidence to support that exposure to ozone increases death from respiratory and cardiovascular causes. There is currently inconsistent evidence to indicate there is a threshold below which exposure to ozone is not associated with adverse health effects. That is to say, there is NO SAFE LEVEL.

To address my/our concerns I request that the following actions are undertaken:
1. Due to the significant health concerns that will occur in the community, I request the Department of Planning does not approve of the proposed modifications; and
2. That the ventilation outlet emissions are filtered before release into the air, as per Recommendation 13 in the December 2018 NSW Parliament Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee Report on the Impact of the WestConnex Project.

I have not made any political donations in the previous two years.

Sui Chan

FROM:

Dr Samantha Lander
Killara NSW 2071


TO:


Director – Transport Assessments
MAJOR PROJECTS TEAM,
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Application Number: SSI 6136 MOD3
GPO Box 39,
SYDNEY NSW 2001

Please find below my submission in response to - EXHIBITION OF STATE SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE MODIFICATION REQUEST NORTHCONNEX(M1-M2) PROJECT- MODIFICATION- SS6136 MOD 3

Firstly, I would like to state that I OBJECT to the modification request by RMS to amend condition of approval E-11- Ventilation Outlets-Limits. That is to modify the approved Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) limit from 1mg/m3 to 4 mg/m3.

As a general practitioner, I have researched the health impacts of exposure to VOC’s and have a high level of concern regarding the proposed increase.

VOC's include carcinogens such as benzene and formaldehyde from vehicle exhaust. There is NO SAFE LEVEL of exposure to these pollutants. As well as cancer, these chemicals cause eye, nose, throat and airway irritation, reduced lung function and cause exacerbation of asthma and COPD. When VOC's and NOx react in the presence of sunlight, ozone is formed. In the short term, similar to VOC’s, exposure to ozone can result in reduced lung function and exacerbation of asthma and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as irritation and inflammation of eyes, nose, throat and lower airways. In the long term, as well as causing cancer, there is a growing body of evidence to support that exposure to ozone increases death from respiratory and cardiovascular causes. There is currently inconsistent evidence to indicate there is a threshold below which exposure to ozone is not associated with adverse health effects. That is to say, there is NO SAFE LEVEL.


The NorthConnex stacks are located in densely populated areas in the near vicinity of over 9000 school students, along with health and aged care facilities, businesses and of course many residents. These people all stand to suffer the potential health impacts of exposure to the pollutants emitted from the stacks as discussed above.

This is in the context of the wider issue that the ventilation stacks for the North Connex will NOT BE FILTERED. Recommendation 13 in the December 2018 NSW Parliament Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee Report on the Impact of the Westconnex Project recommended "the NSW Government install, on all current and future motorway tunnel, filtration systems in order to reduce the level of pollutants emitted from ventilation stacks". This has been dismissed. Reference is made to the lack of cost effectiveness of filtration on the basis of a short trial of filtration on the M5 East tunnel from March 2010 to September 2011. This was NOT stack filtration and incurred many additional costs to those that would be required for retrofitting filtration into an existing stack. The NorthConnex Stacks have been designed for such retrofitting.

I have also attached the doctors letter of medical evidence which was signed by over 200 doctors in 2014 regarding the health impacts of exposure to the tunnel pollutants.

In summary, could you please provide the evidence that there will be no health impact on those living, working and studying in the vicinity of the Northern ventilation stack of this exposure to increased levels of VOC's. This should take into account the prolonged exposure of many of these people over many years, as well as the sensitivity of particular people exposed, including children and the elderly. If there is no evidence of safety, the proposal to increase in the acceptable level of VOC's should NOT be approved.

This is also an opportunity to reassess the need for filtration in the NorthConnex stacks, or in-tunnel filtration. There is no modern longitudinally ventilated long urban road tunnel greater than 5km in length elsewhere in the developed world that is recently built or under construction which allows diesel trucks with this inadequate ventilation design.

The UK and USA have no such tunnels. In France and Turkey they ban the diesel trucks, as well as buses and motorcycles. In Spain, Norway, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong and Switzerland they have installed filtration, to clean the air before it is sent out of ventilation stacks over urban areas. Australia should be no different.

Please prioritise the health and safety of the air that we breathe and the constituents you represent.


I have not made any political donations in the previous two years

Yours sincerely,

Dr Samantha Lander
BSc MBBS (Hon 1) FRACGP

Please find below my submission in response to - EXHIBITION OF STATE SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE MODIFICATION REQUEST NORTHCONNEX(M1-M2) PROJECT- MODIFICATION- SS6136 MOD 3

Firstly, I would like to state that I OBJECT to the modification request by RMS to amend condition of approval E-11- Ventilation Outlets-Limits. That is to modify the approved Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) limit from 1mg/m3 to 4 mg/m3. This is because of inadequate communication and dialogue to the community from Road and Maritime services (RMS) and the Department of Health. There has been no consultation and explanation of what these levels mean in relation to air quality and pollution levels in Wahroonga and surrounding suburbs. There has been no explanation by the Department of Health as to why they have given their approval.
There has not been enough time given for the public to consider all aspects of this matter and giving the public only 2 weeks to respond is a an abuse of the submission process.

I have a high level of concern regarding the following issues:

1. The increased level of VOC's from 1mg/m3 to 4mg/m3 will increase the concentrations of diesel emissions from the northern ventilation stack in a densely populated residential area in Wahroonga, where 9,300 school children will be exposed, as well as multiple aged care facilities, hospitals, businesses and homes.

2. I am extremely concerned because research studies have proven the impacts of air pollutants on health are serious. These include increased death from heart disease, increased risks of lung cancer, stroke, poor lung growth in children, increased asthma, and recent research suggesting low birth weight for pregnant women, increased autism, and congenital heart defects. These studies confirm air pollutants have prothrombotic and inflammatory effects on humans which cause the above health problems. Specifically, many of the VOC's, including benzene and formaldehyde from vehicle exhaust, are classified as Group 1 carcinogens to humans (IARC 2009). When VOC's and NOx react in the presence of sunlight, ozone is formed. In the short term, exposure to ozone can result in reduced lung function and exacerbation of asthma and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as irritation and inflammation of eyes, nose, throat and lower airways. These pollutants cause cancer and there is NO SAFE LEVEL, when thousands of trucks will be using the Northconnex tunnels daily and emitting concentrated diesel emissions. In the long term, this area will become a cancer cluster. In the long-term 9,000 plus growing children in the area will suffer health issues as a adults.

3. I would like to point out that the project was approved based on the approval limit of 1mg/cubic metre.
Any change requires a new EIS. The request is to allow for short term incidents , why is the modification request a constant limit increase instead? The the "Ltr Dispersion Modelling Results_28Sep15" report becomes invalid if the parameters are changed. The Department of Health and the EPA should be conducting their own research at the dispersion factors and it’s effects on air pollution and health and not just accept the theoretical modelling results provided by Aecom.

To address my concerns I request that the following actions are undertaken:
1. I request the department of planning does not approve of the proposed modifications
2. That more pollution monitors are installed in the vicinity of all the schools and preschools in the area.
There is : — NO pollution monitor in circle of 0.25km radius
-- NO pollution monitor in circle of 0.5km radius
-- NO pollution monitor on the east side of the NorthConnex in Wahroonga area
-- NO pollution monitor close to Waitara Public School within 500m radius from the stack, Wahroonga Preparatory School within 410 m radius from the stack.
There is an insufficient number of air pollution monitors, given the number of schools in the area.

2. That the ventilation outlet emissions are filtered before release into the air, as per Recommendation 13 in the December 2018 NSW Parliament Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee Report on the Impact of the WestConnex Project, that all long road urban tunnels are filtered.

I have not made any political donations in the previous two years

The North Connex stack is very close to Abbotsleigh. The pollution it is due to spit out will be unfiltered and may cause longterm harm to our girls as they will be exposed to it for 12+ years. We would like the stack to have a filter installed.

My daughter goes to Abbotsleigh junior school and we live in Wahroonga where it’s 1.5km from the north connex. We’re worried about the air pollution around Wahroonga and surrounding area, not to say the impact to the schools in this area, like Abbotsleigh, Knox grammar, Wahroonga public, waitara public, to name just a few. I strongly suggest adding filters to the exhausted stacks near fern avenue. And not to increase ventilation outlet limit detailed in this project. Hope this option from a local resident can be seriously considered.

……..

I object to the unfiltration of the pollutant emissions stack in the Northconnex tunnel

I object to this project. This modification, if approved, will bring potential and very serious health hazard to the local residents in terms of air quality and impact on environment. The local residents and the schools kids in the area will be mostly affected.