A Brooklyn mother wants to leave the area because of ongoing health concerns linked to local pollution.
Olexandra Vazhnenko, a biologist, fears for her family’s health, especially that of her three-year-old son, Robert.
“At his age, we all believe that if the child grows up in an area with a high level of pollution it can cause a lot of problems in the future, like allergies and asthma,” she said.
“We’re still considering this [moving]; it’s just our financial hardship doesn’t let us do this straight away.
“I came from Ukraine, from an industrial area, but here I’ve been sick much more often than there, so there’s definitely some pollution.
“It’s different kinds of respiratory or infection, or just I feel unwell.”
Ms Vazhnenko spoke out following the second major industrial fire at Brooklyn in just over three months.
Smoke drifted across Sunshine and surrounding areas in the wake of a large rubbish fire in Bunting Road last Tuesday night, when recycled rubber and plastics caught alight.
That followed an October 18 blaze at scrap metal recycling plant Sims Metal, which took 10 hours and more than 100 firefighters to extinguish.
Residents within a one-kilometre radius were told to stay inside, shut doors and windows and turn off their air-conditioners.
However, the Environment Protection Authority said the twin blazes were no indication that major industrial fires were a “regular event” in the area.
Facebook was ‘on fire’ last week with residents voicing their anger.
John wrote: “I live in West Sunshine and some days you get these smells wafting across the suburb, and there is always smoke coming from the industrial area in Brooklyn”.
Another, Anthea, said she knew of at least four fires in the Sunshine, Sunshine West and Brooklyn areas last Tuesday.
Calling for better air quality monitoring, Greens MP Colleen Hartland said she would raise the issue in State Parliament.
“The government must resource the EPA far better to monitor industry and undertake preventive activities,” she said. “When something goes wrong, they should be onsite immediately, monitoring the air and directing remediation activity.”
An EPA spokeswoman said the agency had reduced pollution and environmental impacts at industry sites in Brooklyn through “significant regulatory efforts”.
It has recently issued 28 pollution abatement notices to businesses in the Brooklyn industrial precincts, demanding they clean up their act
Brimbank council’s city development director, Stuart Menzies, said the site of last week’s fire at Brooklyn operated under an EPA licence, and the council had no authority to inspect landfills.
“Council has been undertaking an active enforcement program in Brooklyn to improve issues of dust and odour,” he said.
