Measuring air quality
How do we measure air quality?
The benchmarks against which air quality is measured are set in the Ambient Air National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) The pollutants covered by the Air NEPM are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, lead and particles (measured as PM10, a measurement that relates to the size of the particle). These standards are health based and are designed to protect people in the community most vulnerable to the health impacts of the various pollutants.
Sydney's air has been monitored for a range of pollutants since the 1960s. NSW's air monitoring program currently is the largest in Australia, with a comprehensive network operated by DECC. DECC maintains the Regional Pollution Index (RPI) which is produced daily for air quality in three regions in Sydney (Eastern Sydney, North Western Sydney and South Western Sydney); three sites in the lower Hunter (Newcastle, Wallsend and Beresfield); and two sites in the Illawarra (Wollongong and Albion Park), plus sites in the central tablelands, the north-west slopes and the south-west slopes of NSW.
The National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) is a national database of emissions from industry and aggregate sources and a comprehensive emissions data set for oxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds and particles. This inventory brings together emissions estimates for domestic, industrial and mobile sources in the Sydney - Newcastle - Wollongong airsheds.
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Page last updated: 26 February 2011
