In terms of the existing industry in the Bell Bay industrial area, it's what you cannot see or smell that is of concern.
Aluminium smelters are/were notorious for releasing a lot of fluoride into the atmosphere. It's a fairly nasty substance in high doses. It also causes industrial health issues for workers in the smelter (potroom asthma) but I have not heard much about it in recent years - maybe process changes have cleaned it up significantly. Comalco (RIO) have a world scale plant at Bell Bay just a couple of kilometres or so, as the crow flies, from the pulp mill site.
The Tamar is a highly industrialised area in a part of Tasmania that was developed very early in its European history. It's NOT the fjord-like, steep sided, virgin forested, pristine water "valley", untouched by man until GNS came along, that the anti-mill folk would have you believe. The whole of the Tamar is extensively developed. Don't get me wrong - it is also a very pleasant and picturesque place including, IMHO, the port and industrial areas. I'd live there any day, with or without a pulp mill present.
GNS Price at posting:
56.0¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held