Health hazard: doctors say it’s time to run out of gas

Doctors are calling on the Australian government to rule out new gas projects and phase out gas appliances, warning the fossil fuel poses a major public health risk.

Children and hospitality workers are among the most exposed to health risks from gas, they warn, although pollution from its extraction and climate change could cause wider harm.

Doctors for the Environment Australia released the findings from a report on Wednesday before its launch at Parliament House in Canberra.

The call comes as several new gas projects progress in Australia, including in the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory, and after the government approved the operation of Woodside’s North West Shelf project in Western Australia until 2070.

The report, called Gas and its Overlooked Health Risks, analysed national and international research on the impact of the fossil fuel.

It identified strong links between gas and asthma, including Australian modelling that found 12.3 per cent of childhood asthma could be attributed to gas cooking.

Adults were also at increased risk of persistent asthma and shortness of breath by exposure to burning gas, it said, and studies showed moving to electric cooking could improve health outcomes.

Hospitality workers were also risked high exposure to harmful pollutants from gas stoves in poorly ventilated kitchens, the report said, while workers in mining, manufacturing and laboratory settings faced other gas-related risks.

Australians had been told gas was a natural and clean energy source, Doctors for the Environment Australia executive director Dr Kate Wylie said, but the evidence did not support those claims.

“Gas is not clean or safe – it can harm our health at every stage of its life cycle,” she said.

“We need a clear plan to phase out this polluting fuel and support households and businesses to transition to clean energy, such as solar and wind.”

The report called for the government to stop approving new gas projects and introduce a clear timeline to phase out gas extraction, distribution, use and exports.

Targeted financial support would be needed to help some groups, including low-income households and renters, replace gas appliances and disconnect from the gas network. it said.

Governments in Victoria and the ACT should be commended for restricting gas connections to new residential and some commercial properties, Dr Wylie said, but national changes were needed.

“Governments must not delay action on major public health hazards,” she said.

“Australia has acted before to reduce exposure to dangerous pollutants when the evidence showed that the risks were unacceptable – fossil gas should be no different.”

Parts of Europe and the US have restricted new gas connections, the report said, while Ecuador funded a program to replace gas stoves in 750,000 homes and recorded health benefits.