Cohort profile : The Hazelwood Health Study Latrobe Early Life Follow-Up (ELF) study

The Hazelwood coal mine fire in Victoria, Australia, was an unprecedented national outdoor air pollution event that covered the surrounding area in smoke and ash for 6 weeks in February and March 2014 (Figure 1). The severe smoke event caused considerable community concerns within the neighbouring town of Morwell and the broader Latrobe Valley community, situated 150 km east of the capital city of Melbourne. The Latrobe Valley is a regional setting known for mining and agricultural industries, characterised by relative socioeconomic disadvantage compared with the rest of the state. In response to these concerns, and following extensive community consultation, the Hazelwood Health Study was established to examine the long-term impacts of the mine fire (https://hazelwoodhealthstudy.org.au/). The Hazelwood Health Study involves multiple research streams focusing on various health outcomes and vulnerable groups. The Latrobe Early Life Follow-up (ELF) Study is a stream of the Hazelwood Health Study which aims to investigate the potential impacts of exposure to a severe outdoor air pollution event, as caused by the 2014 Hazelwood coal mine fire, on the health and development of children in the Latrobe Valley.

Specific objectives are to explore: (i) obstetric and perinatal outcomes; (ii) parental reports of minor illnesses in young children; (iii) respiratory, vascular and immune function of children from 3 to 12 years of age; and (iv) medication use, health care attendance, education and developmental outcomes in childhood following in utero and early childhood exposure to smoke from the Hazelwood coal mine fire. We also aim to evaluate whether the persistence of smoke and ash pollutants in homes is a useful additional marker of exposure to mine fire emissions.

Ethics statement

Ethics approval was obtained from the Tasmania Health and Medical Human Research Ethics Committee (ref H0015033 and H0014875).