A group of Port Kembla residents fears potentially hazardous material will be released into the air when the PKC stack is demolished later this month.
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The material, called mullite, is used to make bricks and ceramics that can withstand high heat.
In recent weeks there have been community concerns about the possibility of residents contracting silicosis, a serious lung disease caused by the inhalation of fibres within mullite.
The concerns relate to the potential for the fibres to become airborne during the stack demolition.
A Port Kembla Copper spokesman said several samples taken from the stack had been tested by the Environmental Protection Authority and found to contain mullite.
However, the spokesman said there was "no basis" to the claims that it would be harmful.
"The limited amount of mullite present and the short-term one-off nature of the demolition event would mitigate against adverse effects, which are only known to occur after long-term exposure at high concentration.
"Furthermore, the implementation of the exclusion zone, dust-suppression techniques and a clean-up protocol provide a robust three-pronged precautionary approach to mitigate any adverse impacts to health and the environment."
The spokesman also said the International Agency for Research on Cancer did not list mullite as a "proven human carcinogen".
However, Port Kembla's Concerned Residents Group rejected this, claiming PKC was unaware of "the real health risks" from demolition by explosion.
Group spokeswoman Julie Renshaw said the detonation posed the risk of acute silicosis.
This form of the disease, according to the American Lung Association, "can occur after only weeks or months of exposure to very high levels of crystalline silica", which is found in mullite.
"Silica dust exposure in high concentration can lead to silicosis within a year, but 10 to 15 years typically pass before symptoms begin to appear in most victims," Ms Renshaw said.
She also criticised PKC's dust mitigation measures.
"Wetting down of dust is not an option - as once crystalline silicate particles ... are airborne it is too late," she said.