‘Highly offensive’ but not toxic: Report into Ipswich waste odour released

An inquiry into the health impacts of noxious smells from waste facilities near Ipswich has found that the odours are “highly offensive” but not toxic.

Odours wafting from several waste management facilities, known as the Swanbank landfill, have been the source of community concern for some time.

“The public health inquiry did not find any evidence of an increased risk of cancer in the exposed population or that the odours are toxic,” Health Minister Tim Nicholls told parliament on Wednesday.

“However, the report makes clear that odorous chemicals in the air do not need to be at toxic levels to impact human health.

“The findings reveal what the people of Ipswich have known for many years. Odour from the industrial areas is highly offensive and is affecting the health and wellbeing of local residents.”

The inquiry followed years of complaints by residents, some of whom said they could not sleep with their windows open due to the pungent, sickening smell.

“It’s easier to close up the house than to wake up and vomit everywhere,” resident Tracey Butler told AAP in an interview last year.

Residents and the mayor have long called on the Queensland government to hold a public inquiry into the health impacts of exposure to smells often likened to raw sewage, rotting compost or eggs and decaying animals.

Health conditions linked to the odour include nausea, headaches, coughing and wheezing, skin irritations, sleep disturbances, and stress.

The inquiry findings validate what the community has been saying, Environment Minister Andrew Powell said.

“I recognise and acknowledge how challenging that has been for residents and the frustration and distress this has caused,” he said. “But that era of struggling alone is over.”

The Liberal National Party promised an inquiry into the smell ahead of the 2024 state election, and announced it was going ahead in January.

The independent inquiry was led by Queensland’s former Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard, with 500 people contributing.

Some companies have already been subject to legal action as a result of the stench in the area.

The latest was waste management company Cleanaway, which received a landmark fine in November 2024 totalling $600,000.

It pleaded guilty to seven odour nuisance offences, specifically related to odours that began after extreme rainfall in 2022.

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