DoH to review proposals where there is potential for public health impacts.
Updates
The State Government approved the publication of the Western Australian Department of Health process for providing advice to the Environmental Protection Authority on human health risk assessments for hydraulic fracturing proposals position paper on 8 October 2020.
The position paper describes the current process by which the EPA refers human health risk assessments to DoH for review and advice.
The position paper closes Action 8 of the Government’s Implementation Plan.
A paper outlining the referral process is currently being finalised.
Consultation paper, outlining the referral process between the EPA and DoH, is under development.
Existing processes are being reviewed and documented, ensuring alignment with Action 7 referral process, to develop a process for DoH to review and provide advice to the EPA on the robustness of referred, peer-reviewed, site-specific risk assessments for the cumulative and short and long term health risk from:
- chemicals proposed to be used in hydraulic fracture stimulation or expected to be present in produced or flow-back water; and
- air-borne chemicals (including volatile organic compounds and dust) on human health arising from hydraulic fracture.