A statement authored by 22 health and medical organisations has labelled the levels of air pollution caused by bushfires in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland in recent weeks, a “public health emergency.” The bushfire smoke in Australia in the eastern region has reached record levels of polluted air in bushfire affected areas and neighbouring towns and cities. The statement declared: “Governments have a responsibility to protect the people they represent.” The health bodies are among the leading independent agencies in Australia for respiratory health, including the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Australian Lung Foundation and the Australian College for Emergency Medicine. The group called on the federal and state governments to prioritise action to reduce health risks from bushfire smoke. “We call on Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to demonstrate the leadership this public health emergency demands and […]