As furious negotiations raged last week over the restart of BlueScope's sinter plant, between the steelmaker on one side and the Environmental Protection Agency on the other stood Professor Alison Jones.
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World-renowned toxicologist and executive dean of Science Medicine and Health at Wollongong University, Prof Jones lent her considerable talents as an independent adviser.
With a balance needing to be struck between corporate interest and public safety concerns, Prof Jones said her role was to interpret data and provide advice on how to proceed.
"I looked at the figures to see if there could be any public health effect with the restart," she said.
"My job as a toxicologist is to listen to both sides, look at data critically and carefully to give me advice."
Teams from the EPA, BlueScope and NSW Health - among others - pored over emissions data and projections of future emissions under the restart proposal, thrashing out a plan that would allow BlueScope to restart its sinter operations at Port Kembla without jeopardising public health and safety.
Prof Jones' input was one of the key factors in the approved plan.
The EPA will monitor emissions in coming weeks, but Prof Jones said projections did not show any cause for concern.
"We are not expecting any health effects, but if there are any increased concentrations of toxins, they will be picked up."