URGENT! Please visit the Asthma Foundation website and complete a two-click survey on the replacement of unflued gas heaters in public schools. Click here to see new videos and information and complete the survey so results can be presented to the government this week!

Blanket Day 24.6

The NSW Teachers Federation is holding a Blanket Day on Friday 24/6/11 to highlight the fact that unflued gas heaters are still in the majority of classrooms in NSW.

Unlike other states NSW has not removed these heaters despite the findings of last year's Woolcock's report and warning from the NSW Health Department of the dangers associated with operating unflued gas heaters.

Asthma NSW is also calling for their removal and is running a short survey the results of which will be presented to the government.

'Parents are fed up with broken promises. We were promised a timeline for the removal of these dangerous heaters last year - we're still waiting. Schools who haven't had their heaters replaced are angry this issue is being ignored.'

More info at: http://www.nswtf.org.au/journal/education-92-05/files/2.html
Media contact: Jo Keown 0425 207 380

9 June 2011 UPDATE: click here for our latest media release

The Sydney Morning Herald has again brought the issue of removing unflued gas heaters from ALL schools in NSW back into the news: click here to read the story.

What’s winter going to be like in the classrooms at your school? Are students, staff and volunteers at your school going to breathing easy? Or, are they still going to be breathing air polluted with pollutants including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and formaldehyde, as well as moulds.

COUGH has been calling for a two-year replacement program for these dangerous heaters. The previous Labor government promised a fully funded replacement program but, almost one year on, we’re still waiting for a timeline.

101 Schools Replacement Program

If your school was part of the 101 schools list to have their heaters replaced, we’d like to know if there have been any problems with the replacement program due to finish mid year.

The first 101 schools: is your school on the list? There has still been no time-frame announced for replacement of unflued gas heaters in the rest of the state's 2000 schools...

The campaign continues: contact us to find out how your school can become a supporter! And click here to find a plan of action if your school missed out.

The Woolcock report

In July 2010 the long-awaited Woolcock report was released: ‘An investigation into the short-term impact of exposure to “low NOx” unflued gas heaters in classrooms on the children’s symptoms and lung function and on indoor air quality”.

The report’s summary concluded that it was important that ‘seeking alternative, effective and efficient sources of domestic and public space heating that does not have adverse effects on health is important’. The report found wheeze in children increased with so called low NOx unflued heaters. COUGH believes the results are very conservative due to the report’s methodology and the fact that the report was conducted at the end of a warmer than usual winter.

The report can be found here.