Mapping the Morbidity Risk Associated with Coal Mining in Queensland, Australia

Javier Cortes-Ramirez, Darren Wraith, Peter D. Sly and Paul Jagals
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Javier Cortes-Ramirez: School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Darren Wraith: School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
Peter D. Sly: Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia
Paul Jagals: Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: The populations in the vicinity of surface coal mining activities have a higher risk of morbidity due to diseases, such as cardiovascular, respiratory and hypertensive diseases, as well as cancer and diabetes mellitus. Despite the large and historical volume of coal production in Queensland, the main Australian coal mining state, there is little research on the association of coal mining exposures with morbidity in non-occupational populations in this region. This study explored the association of coal production (Gross Raw Output—GRO) with hospitalisations due to six disease groups in Queensland using a Bayesian spatial hierarchical analysis and considering the spatial distribution of the Local Government Areas (LGAs). There is a positive association of GRO with hospitalisations due to circulatory diseases (1.022, 99% CI: 1.002–1.043) and respiratory diseases (1.031, 95% CI: 1.001–1.062) for the whole of Queensland. A higher risk of circulatory, respiratory and chronic lower respiratory diseases is found in LGAs in northwest and central Queensland; and a higher risk of hypertensive diseases, diabetes mellitus and lung cancer is found in LGAs in north, west, and north and southeast Queensland, respectively. These findings can be used to support public health strategies to protect communities at risk. Further research is needed to identify the causal links between coal mining and morbidity in non-occupational populations in Queensland.

Keywords: coal mining; morbidity; Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA); spatial regression; area specific risk; cardiovascular diseases; respiratory diseases (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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