Feature
Issue No. 33 - February/March 2007
Toxic clean up centre to breed jobs
A new national research centre based in SA will bring science and industry together to find better ways to neutralize soil, water and air contamination and build up a skills base in the field.
Minister for Finance and Administration, Senator Nick Minchin opened the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment - CRC CARE was opened by at the University of South Australia’s Mawson Lakes campus.
“Australia has more than 100,000 potentially contaminated sites and the cost of clean-up is estimated at well over $5 billion and our neighbours in Asia have an estimated three million sites that need attention,” says CRC CARE Managing Director, Professor Ravi Naidu.
“This pollution of our soil, water and air poses a recognised risk to human health. It has been implicated in poisonings, cancer and other diseases. Science has also revealed that contamination is moving round the planet – showing up not just in our cities and food, but even at the poles and in deep oceans.
“Contamination can also impact on our trade especially given Australia’s push for clean and green image.”
Dr Naidu said CRC CARE is about finding the best ways to assess the risks and develop effective, affordable solutions to toxic pollution.
Another object was to help Australian industry become world leaders in the contamination management and prevention.
The CRC directly involves several scientific, industry and government organizations and anticipates benefits of up to $1.8 billion per year from direct savings in remediation and improved clean-land values.
“Australia has a real shortage of people who have skills in environmental risk assessment and remediation and right now if we need these skills, we often have (to import) this talent from America or Europe,” Prof Naidu says.
“One of the Centre’s most valuable contributions will be to train a generation of young Austral...
