National measures

The National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality (also referred to as the Air NEPM) was released in June 1998 by the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC). NEPC is comprised of environment Ministers from all of the states and territories as well as the commonwealth.

The NEPC has now been incorporated into the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC), along with other natural resource and environment-related ministerial councils. As NEPC is a statutory body it will continue to exist and will operate under the umbrella of the EPHC.

The desired environmental outcome of the Air NEPM is ambient air quality is for the protection of human health and well-being. It sets air quality standards for six pollutants, together with the maximum exceedence levels of each standard and a goal for these standards to be met within ten years from the commencement of the Air NEPM.

The Air NEPM standards are displayed below.

Pollutant	Air NEPM Standards	Averaging Time
Ozone	0.10 ppm 0.08 ppm	1 hour * 4 hour *
Nitrogen dioxide	0.12 ppm 0.03 ppm	1 hour * 1 year
Sulfur dioxide	0.20 ppm 0.08 ppm 0.02 ppm	1 hour * 24 hour * 1 year
Carbon monoxide	9.0 ppm	8 hour *
PM10	50 µg/m³	24 hour **
PM2.5	25 µg/m³	24 hour ***
Lead	0.50 µg/m³	1 year

ppm: parts per million;
µg/m³: micrograms per cubic metre
* not to be exceeded more than one day per year
** not to be exceeded more than five days per year
*** NEPM Advisory Standard

Each jurisdiction has developed an air monitoring plan to assess whether the standards and goal of the Air NEPM are being achieved.

Further information and supporting documents for the Air NEPM can be found on the Environment Protection and Heritage Council web site.

Last updated: 21 July 2008