Residents battle dust pollution in Adelaide’s south
Homes blanketed with dust. People cannot open windows and enjoy fresh air or sit outside during summer. They wake up and taste dust in their mouth. Pavers, roofs, gutters, cars and gardens must be constantly cleaned.
This is life for many residents in Sellicks Beach, 45 minutes’ drive south of Adelaide. For much of the year, locals live under a cloud of dust from the Sellicks Hill Quarry.
The quarry is owned by Adbri, Australia’s second-largest cement producer. Dust emissions have been a source of complaints for more than a decade, but residents say that the problem has become worse following a recent expansion.
“They’ve increased the volume of business exponentially, and the volume of dust is now totally unbearable”, Mike von Berg, a local resident, told A Current Affair.
The nuisance of daily cleaning is bad enough. But health concerns are also evident. Many residents report chronic coughing and respiratory issues. Hazel, an anti-dust campaigner, has developed blepharitis, an eye condition, which she attributes to quarry dust.
“My family has moved away from Sellicks because they believed the dust was causing health problems”, she told Red Flag.
Residents also say that they have found silica particles in the dust. When inhaled, silica can cause lung disease and cancer. “We live in a beautiful location”, said Helen, another local. “And the thought that it could be toxic is horrifying.”
In March, 150 residents attended an angry meeting and called on health authorities to conduct comprehensive and targeted research to prove that the dust contains no respirable levels of silica.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has claimed that Adbri is subject to “severe” environmental regulations. Since 2016, the company has been required to develop a dust management plan and reduce emissions.
Despite government reassurances, not enough is being done. For years, locals have documented the quarry violating regulations. In 2018, Adbri was fined for failing to comply with dust mitigation measures. In February, shortly after it approved a revised dust management plan, the Environmental Protection Authority issued a notice for excessive dust production. For Helen, more than “a little slap on the wrist” is needed to counter company negligence.
Following community pressure, Adbri has committed to a potentially stricter dust management plan. It remains unclear whether this will lead to ongoing improvements. Among political leaders, concerns have fallen on deaf ears. The state Labor government hopes to construct 1,700 homes on land just 500 metres from the quarry.
“We are not wanting the quarry to close down; we just want them to control the dust that they blow down over us”, Helen told Red Flag. “It is a basic human right to live in a clean environment and breathe clean air.”
