Regional trends in air quality
The Air Quality Sciences branch of the Department of Environment and Resource Management monitors air quality in South East Queensland and the regional centres of Gladstone, Mackay, Townsville and Mount Isa.
Factors influencing air pollution in South East Queensland include increasing population, concentration of motor vehicles and industrial activity, while in Gladstone and Mount Isa, industrial activity is the major cause of air pollution.
Two of the primary indices used to measure air quality are the Air Quality Index (Human Health) and the Air Quality Index (Amenity) [Note]
Air quality (human health)
South East Queensland, Gladstone, Mackay, Townsville and Mount Isa Air Quality Index (Human Health) 2000 to 2012
| Year | Poor air quality days | Fair air quality days | Good air quality days | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEQ | GLA | MAC | TVL | MTI | SEQ | GLA | MAC | TVL | MTI | SEQ | GLA | MAC | TVL | MTI | |
| 2000 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | 33 | 117 | 32 | 67 | - | 28 | 243 | 330 | 297 | - | 305 |
| 2001 | 3 | 4 | 2 | - | 41 | 99 | 41 | 114 | - | 22 | 263 | 320 | 249 | - | 302 |
| 2002 | 11 | 5 | 5 | - | 49 | 156 | 38 | 91 | - | 34 | 198 | 322 | 269 | - | 282 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | 7 | - | 42 | 85 | 27 | 79 | - | 28 | 278 | 338 | 279 | - | 295 |
| 2004 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 118 | 19 | 85 | 6 | 25 | 243 | 347 | 281 | 214 | 305 |
| 2005 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 49 | 100 | 19 | 78 | 8 | 30 | 261 | 342 | 280 | 352 | 286 |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 101 | 27 | 59 | 4 | 25 | 263 | 337 | 305 | 359 | 314 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 97 | 18 | 103 | 4 | 30 | 266 | 347 | 260 | 361 | 304 |
| 2008 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 74 | 32 | 125 | 29 | 29 | 288 | 332 | 233 | 336 | 299 |
| 2009 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 25 | 119 | 67 | 123 | 22 | 17 | 232 | 291 | 225 | 334 | 323 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 38 | 31 | 40 | 7 | 29 | 327 | 334 | 325 | 358 | 317 |
| 2011 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 39 | 19 | 57 | 25 | 28 | 325 | 343 | 307 | 339 | 315 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 27 | 31 | 31 | 28 |
Current to January 2012—Townsville from May 2004
KEY:
- Poor: number of days when at least one National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality (Air NEPM) monitoring station did not meet one or more NEPM air quality standards, reflecting high pollution levels.
- Fair: number of days when all NEPM monitoring stations were within the NEPM standards but at least one station reached at least half the standard for one or more pollutants.
- Good: number of days when all NEPM monitoring stations were below half the NEPM air quality standards, reflecting good air quality.
- Standards:
- 0.10 ppm ozone (one-hour average)
- 0.12 ppm nitrogen dioxide (one-hour average)
- 0.20 ppm sulfur dioxide (one-hour average)
- 9.0 ppm carbon monoxide (eight-hour average)
- 50 µg/m3 PM10 (24-hour average)
Air quality (amenity)
South East Queensland, Gladstone and Mackay Air Quality Index (amenity) 2000 to 2012
| Year | Poor air quality days | Fair air quality days | Good air quality days | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEQ | GLA | MAC | SEQ | GLA | MAC | SEQ | GLA | MAC | |
| 2000 | 23 | 12 | 34 | 34 | 13 | 43 | 309 | 341 | 289 |
| 2001 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 28 | 345 | 341 | 324 |
| 2002 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 6 | 27 | 337 | 352 | 331 |
| 2003 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 31 | 3 | 17 | 326 | 361 | 343 |
| 2004 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 36 | 6 | 8 | 319 | 359 | 352 |
| 2005 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 335 | 359 | 357 |
| 2006 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 348 | 359 | 355 |
| 2007 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 9 | 334 | 364 | 354 |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 354 | 363 | 342 |
| 2009 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 33 | 4 | 12 | 322 | 354 | 342 |
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 10 | 340 | 363 | 350 |
| 2011 | 4 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 357 | 338 | 329 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 29 | 31 |
Current to November 2012
KEY:
- Poor: number of days when at least one NEPM monitoring station did not meet the Environmental Protection (Air) Policy (EPP (Air)) air quality goal, reflecting poor visual amenity.
- Fair: number of days when all NEPM monitoring stations were within the EPP (Air) goal but at least one station reached at least half the goal.
- Good: number of days when all NEPM monitoring stations were below half the EPP (Air) goal, reflecting good visual amenity.
- Standard: visibility equal to or exceeding 20 km (one-hour average).
Assessment of air quality is performed by comparison of pollutant concentrations against the air quality goals set within the Environmental Protection (Air) Policy 1997 (EPP (Air)) and the air quality standards set within the National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality (Air NEPM). These goals and standards generally fall into two broad categories: those developed to protect human health (Air Quality Index—Human Health) and those based on aesthetic criteria such as visibility loss or odour (Air Quality Index—Amenity). The two indices summarise air quality relative to human health protection and visual amenity.
Last updated 9 March 2012