EPA MONITORS STH MELBOURNE’S AIR FOR NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
PROTECTION PROGRAM

9 March 2006

As a key component of a national program to address air pollutants, EPA Victoria is about to commence monitoring specific pollutants in South Melbourne.

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

EPA will be collecting data on benzene, toluene and xylene in South Melbourne for twelve months, because this location meets NEPM criteria for the siting of such a project.

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 South Melbourne can visit http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/Air/Bulletins/ for information on their air quality,
where information from the CBD is collected.

Monitoring equipment will be established, in cooperation with the City of Port Phillip, on the corner of Kings Way and Napier Streets, South Melbourne. EPA will publish the results of the study once data is validated at the culmination of the project.

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