Adelaide Brighton Cement has reported issues with manufacturing equipment at its Birkenhead plant. Large plumes of dust were spotted leaving the chimney of the facility last Sunday, according to Westside Weekly.

"I could see the plume rising into the air and spreading over residential areas from 10km away," said Tony Bazeley, member of the Port Adelaide Residents Environment Protection Group.

As a result, the company alerted the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). A spokeswoman for the agency confirmed that the plant had exceeded dust emission levels from its 4B calcinator stack.

"The EPA is reviewing monitoring data and Adelaide Brighton’s response to the incident to determine what further action may be required," she said.