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Volatile organic compounds
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality State and trends VOCs are a group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature. Many common household materials and products, such as paints and cleaning products, give...
Commercial and other domestic sources
2016 Report ContentCommercial and other domestic sources
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Emissions from commercial and domestic sources (domestic wood heaters are considered separately) exert pressure on local air quality and on airshed quality. Domestic sources, for...
Motor vehicles
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality Risks Motor vehicles are a significant source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions in Australia, comprising some 90 per cent of transport CO2 emissions, which made up 17 per cent of Australia’s net...
Pollution types
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Pollutants occur as gases (e.g. carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, VOCs such as benzene and formaldehyde) and PM. In air pollution, PM refers to solid and...
Outlook for Australia's air quality
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceThe outlook for Australia’s urban air quality is generally good. However, there is strong evidence that periods of poor urban air quality can have serious adverse long-term and short-term impacts on human health (particularly on the health of susceptible individuals). Although...
Introduction 2016
2016 At a glanceGood air quality is essential for human health and the environment. Air quality is an important contributor to quality of life, and plays a role in the livability of our towns, cities and environment. Ambient air quality is determined by the types and amounts of pollutants emitted into the...
State and trends of Australia’s air quality 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glance Since 1998, Australia has had national ambient air quality standards (National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality—Air NEPM), which set guideline levels for 7 key air pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter (less than 10 ...
Resilience of Australia’s air quality 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceThe frequency, duration and severity of episodes of poor air quality in urban centres are influenced by short-term meteorological conditions, in combination with local topography and/or atypical emissions. Air quality is usually restored to acceptable levels once the immediate...
Domestic wood heaters
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Murray Darling Tasmania Australian Capital Territory East Coast Greater Sydney...
Pollution sources
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Greater Melbourne Greater Sydney Pollution sources are often characterised as anthropogenic (i.e. human-made), biogenic (i.e. natural...
Management framework
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality Effectiveness of management Greater Sydney Each level of government—Australian, state and territory, and local—plays a role in managing the impacts of air pollution by...
Management of sources of pollution
2016 Report Content2016 Ambient air quality Effectiveness of management South East Coast South Australian Gulf East Coast Greater Sydney...
Ambient air quality
2011 Report Content2011 Ambient air quality Risks Industrial point sources If not effectively controlled, emissions from industry can place health and amenity at risk, not only at the neighbourhood level, but more generally at the...
3 Atmosphere | 3 Ambient air quality and other atmospheric issues | 3.2 Pressures affecting Australia's atmosphere
2011 At a glanceAt a glanceNitrous oxide, an ozone depleting substance and a greenhouse gas (GHG), is produced by a variety of natural and human-related sources (notably agricultural processes). Although its ozone depleting potential is low relative to chlorofluorocarbon-11 (CFC-11), human emissions are at...
Risks to Australia's atmosphere
2011 At a glanceAt a glanceGreenhouse gases (notably carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) that are not controlled under the Montreal Protocol are expected to significantly affect future stratospheric ozone levels. In the case of carbon dioxide and methane, the effect is expected to be positive, but...
Indoor air quality
2011 Report Content2011 Ambient air quality State and trends Like citizens of other highly urbanised societies, most Australians spend more than 90% of their time indoors, leading to concern about the possible impacts of indoor air...
2011 Report graph - Figure 3.34 Base-case projected growth in major pollutant emissions from motor vehicles for Australian metropolitan areas, 1990–2020 (index with 1990 = 100)
2011 GraphFigure 3.34 CO = carbon monoxide; NOx = nitrogen oxides; PM10 = particulate matter smaller than micrometres; SOx = sulfur oxides; VOC (evap + exhaust) = volatile organic compounds from evaporative and exhaust emissions Source: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and...
3 Atmosphere | 3 Ambient air quality and other atmospheric issues | 3.6 Outlook for Australia's atmosphere
2011 At a glanceAt a glanceAs a result of the success of the Montreal Protocol in controlling ozone depleting substances, the stratospheric ozone layer is expect to recover to 1980 benchmark levels by around mid-century. The outlook for Australia’s urban air quality is generally good. However, there is...
Ambient air quality
2011 Report Content2011 Ambient air quality Resilience Australia’s metropolitan cities all experience episodes of poor air quality (measured in terms of particulate pollution, or pollution by ozone and its precursors NOx and VOCs). The...
Ambient air quality
2011 Report Content2011 Ambient air quality Pressures Tasmania Greater Hobart Australian Capital Territory Greater Melbourne Greater...
Ambient air quality
2011 Report Content2011 Ambient air quality State and trends Ambient air quality and health Although air pollution can harm vegetation, erode the facades of historic stone buildings and limit visibility, the main focus of public concern...
Ambient air quality
2011 Report Content2011 Ambient air quality Effectiveness of management National standards At the national level, the Council of Australian Governments’ Standing Council on Environment and Water (previously the Environment Protection and...