Study Aims

The study is about identifying potential health outcomes for people who may have been exposed to smoke from the mine fire. These might include heart and lung disease, cancer, or mental health problems. It will also look at the effects on vulnerable groups such as infants and children, young people, and older people.

The aims of the study were developed as a result of the community consultations which were held in Morwell in May 2014. The general aims are:

  1. Is there evidence that people who were heavily exposed to smoke from the Hazelwood fire are more likely to have developed heart and lung conditions or to develop them in the future, when compared with another similar community with less exposure to the mine fire?
  2. Is there evidence of any impact of smoke exposure during pregnancy or infancy on the health and development of children in the Latrobe Valley compared to otherwise similar infants and children with less exposure to the mine fire?
  3. Is there evidence that people who were heavily exposed to smoke from the mine fire have a higher level of psychological distress than otherwise similar people with less exposure to the mine fire and is this associated with particular vulnerable groups?
  4. Is there evidence that people who were heavily exposed to smoke from the mine fire are more likely to develop cancers over a long period of time than otherwise similar people with less exposure to the mine fire?

The full list of research questions is available here.

In addition to these core research questions, a number of additional questions are being considered including the educational impacts of exposure to the mine fire, the relationship between child and family wellbeing, and the impacts of factors, such smoke from the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires, COVID-19 and eating habits, on longer-term respiratory health.

Our Partners

Acknowledgement to Country

We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Elders and Traditional Owners of the land where our Study teams are based, particularly the Gunaikurnai peoples of Gippsland.