Aired on the Four Corners program on Monday night, concerns were raised about the potential health effects from coal mine dust and air pollution from power stations, especially for Singleton and Muswellbrook.

A truck driver for an open cut coal mine revealed he was warned “off the record” by a Department of Environment official to get a health check after driving through a yellow cloud thought to contain nitrous oxide.

Mine management from Anglo’s Drayton open cut mine told Four Corners the cloud was created by an abnormal blast, but did not say what was in it.

Doctors also shared their views of the health side effects in the Upper Hunter Valley, with GP Tuan Au reportedly testing 900 school children to find one in six had a lower lung function.

But one of the biggest concerns raised was when the program revealed that one housing block in Singleton had five residents diagnosed with brain tumours.

NSWMC said the industry was working with the state government and the community to learn more about the air quality in the Hunter Valley.

“With respect to concerns raised over possible cancer clusters, if medical experts believe that their potential warrants further investigation, then that advice must be acted on,” the industry group said.

“If such clusters were found to exist, the causes would then need to be investigated.”

NSWMC said the mining industry wanted to know more about the regional air quality in the Upper Hunter Valley, but also pointed to other possible influences.

“It is difficult to quantify the impact of any one industry because there are so many contributors to our everyday health, from lifestyle factors to those which are present in the environment around us,” the council said.

“These would all need to be considered in any study and measured against a comparable sample area. It’s a matter for the NSW government and NSW Health to determine whether there are issues that need to be addressed.”

The industry group also mentioned the significant amount of onsite monitoring performed by mines and said the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network would measure regional ambient air quality.

“Air quality standards are set by regulators during approval processes and the results are reported regularly to the NSW government. The standards imposed by regulatory authorities take into account what is known about health effects on people with asthma, lung conditions and heart disease,” the council said.

“Minesites have comprehensive plans to manage dust and minimise its impact in the community through appropriate mine design, rehabilitation and water suppression.

“Techniques include limiting truck movements and material handling wherever possible, progressively rehabilitating disturbed areas and using water sprays on stockpiles and roadways.”

While open cut mines might seem more prone to coal dust issues, recent government testing of inhalable coal dust found that 50 of the 95 longwall samples from the Hunter region failed the government limit of 10mg per cubic metre.

Of the 426 surface samples taken at open cut coal operations and coal handling and preparation plants, only 2.1% exceeded the state limit.