The Adult Survey closed at the end of January 2017. Over 4,000 people completed the survey and we want to thank them all. Two large technical reports describing the initial Adult Survey findings were completed and are available on the Fact Sheets and Summaries and Study Report pages. A number of Adult Survey participants subsequently undertook clinical assessments as part of the Respiratory or Cardiovascular Streams, or a follow up survey as part of the Psychological Impacts Stream. A large number of Adult Survey participants also consented to the researchers accessing their Medicare, Ambulance Victoria, Hospital, Cancer Registry and future death data. Those data were analysed as part of the Hazelinks Stream research.

Background to the Adult Survey – The Adult Survey was a large survey of all adults on the Electoral Roll and who lived in Morwell at the time of the mine fire. The Adult Survey also took place in a comparison community (Sale) which had little or no exposure to the smoke during the fire event. All of Morwell and selected areas of Sale were targeted (click here to see a map of the areas in Sale invited to participate – PDF 5MB).

A copy of the information sheet for the Adult Survey is available here and responses to frequently asked questions are provided here. The video below provides an overview of the Adult Survey by the Principal Investigator, Professor Michael Abramson. The video was shot in 2016 and details the work leading up to the roll out of the Adult Survey.

The Hazelwood Health Study protected the privacy of participants in the Adult Survey in a number of ways. More information on how we ensured the privacy of participants is available here.

The main aims of the Adult Survey were to determine:

• Levels of exposure to the smoke during the mine fire
• The health of the population at the time of the mine fire
• Individual risk and lifestyle factors for health conditions
• Health factors of the population by linking data to existing records (e.g. hospital and ambulance data)

In accordance with section 34 of the Electoral Act 2002, the Victorian Electoral Commission agreed to provide Monash University with an extract from the 2014 Victorian Election electoral roll including the names and addresses of people aged 18 years and over who resided in Morwell and Sale. An extract of the Register of Electors was also provided for the same electors including current address, whether the elector was still active on the roll and whether the elector was deceased. This information was provided for the purpose of recruiting participants for the Adult Survey Stream of the Hazelwood Health Study which investigated the health effects of the Hazelwood Mine Fire.

Study Findings                                                  

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