EPA MONITORS CARLTON’S AIR FOR NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION PROGRAM

9 March 2006

As a key component of a national program to address air pollutants, EPA Victoria has commenced monitoring specific pollutants in Carlton.

“This monitoring is being done as part of a national program to learn more about the concentrations of series of pollutants, known as air toxics,” said EPA Victoria Senior Manager, Science, Tony Robinson.

Whilst previous studies have indicated that levels of these pollutants are generally low, the National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) is designed to gather more information about these substances to help set new goals and more stringent programs for their management.

“The NEPM sets the ‘rules’ for the monitoring program, such as what should be monitored and the types of locations that should be included in the study,” Mr Robinson said. “It also establishes the standards to be used to assess the results of the monitoring”.

“While these pollutants are generally present at low levels, it is still important to map their presence and assess their potential impacts on our health and the environment.”

As part of the NEPM, EPA will be monitoring benzene, toluene, xylenes, formaldehyde and PAHs (polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons), many of which are products of combustion from sources such as vehicle exhausts, industrial activities and woodfires.

“In the case of the study in Carlton, EPA is mainly looking at the impacts of motor vehicle emissions in a highly populated urban environment. Carlton represents the typical inner urban environment required for the study,” Mr Robinson said.

The study will be of a year’s duration to allow comparison with annual objectives, as stipulated by the NEPM. Other information is being collected at Eltham for the impacts of woodsmoke, Newport for industrial impacts and Carlton for further motor vehicle emissions.

This work complements EPA’s long standing monitoring work for the most common air pollutants. Residents of Carlton can visit www.epa.vic.gov.au/Air/Bulletins/ for information on their air quality, where information from the CBD is collected.

Monitoring equipment has been established in Barkly Street, Carlton, with the cooperation from the City of Melbourne.

More information on this study is available at www.epa.vic.gov.au or
by visiting www.ephc.gov.au.