In October 2016 the NSW government published a consultation paper “Clean Air for NSW” and we all went along to a public forum and made submissions about air quality. The stated intention was to develop “actions for government to meet its goal of improving average air quality results across NSW”, however the strategy never eventuated. We are now exactly two years down the track and air quality is worse than ever. The worsening PM 10 is focussed on the coal mining and burning regions of the Hunter and Newcastle, while PM2.5 exceedances affect both the Hunter and Western Sydney.
There are 28 sites with fine particle measurements for 2017 and 2018, and the standard is for the annual average to be less than 8 µg/m3. In 2017 there were 7 sites worse than the standard, and in 2018 there were 14. The average value across the 28 sites increased from 7.51 to 7.98 ug/m3. The worst place in NSW for fine particles was Liverpool at 10.1 µg/m3, while other pollution hot spots include Chullora, 8.6, Parramatta North, 9.2 Prospect, 8.5 and Muswellbrook 9.4.
Fine particles carry the greatest health burden, proven to cause death, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, type two diabetes and low birth weight for babies, and are suspected of causing dementia. Western Sydney already suffers health disadvantage, so the bad air is exacerbating health inequality.
Read the story from Environmental Justice Australia by Dr Ben Ewald - “2018: Deteriorating air quality in NSW.”
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