Air pollution has intensified in parts of Sydney. (photo by Sydney Morning Herald)
Air pollution has intensified in parts of Sydney, with thousands of residents exposed to polluted air, according to a new survey.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the latest air quality report shows that air pollution in the new state has become more serious. In 2018, the air pollution of fine particulate matter in 14 areas of the new state exceeded that of Australia's national level. The figures for the previous four years were only four to six.
The report's author, Dr. Ewald (Ben Ewald), said that while coarse-grained air pollution was also on the increase, fine particles were the most harmful to human health. He noted that fine particulate matter pollution increases the risk of many serious and common diseases and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, and new research suggests it can also increase the risk of babies being underweight at birth.
The most polluted area of fine particulate matter in 2018 was Liverpool's (Liverpool), concentration of 10.1 micrograms per cubic meter (μ g/m3). The concentrations of fine particulate matter in the areas of Chulora (Chullora), Richmond (Richmond), Balamadak North, Prosperbeit (Prospect) and (Campbelltown) are also more than 8 μ g / m ~ (3) ·d ~ (- 1).
This means that thousands of residents of West Sydney have been exposed to polluted air, Dr. Ewald said.
The fine particulate matter concentration of Maswib (Muswellbrook) surrounded by coal mine and coal-fired power station also reached 9.2 μ g / m ~ 3, exceeding the national standard of 8 μ g / m ~ 3.
The new state's air quality is "worse than ever," Dr. Ewald said, adding that the new state's government needed to do more to reduce pollution, such as a clean air policy, but noted that the current government wasn't doing much in that regard.
The new state environment director, Upton (Gabrielle Upton), responded that the report acknowledged the effectiveness of the new state's air quality monitoring system, but the results did not mention the impact of weather on the new state's air last year and were flawed.
Upton said in a statement: "before the drought affected, the overall air quality of the new state over the past 15 to 20 years has been improving, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, The content of PM10 particles and pollutants emitted from motor vehicles and industrial processes decreased. In addition, the report failed to pass an objective test, trying to blame government for the impact of drought-induced sandstorms on air quality, which is itself a critical article. "
Upton also noted that the report completely ignored the fact that new state emission control standards had met or even exceeded world standards. For example, NSW's guidance on PM2.5 concentration control is more health-referenced than WHO (WTO) guidelines.
Dr. Ewald acknowledged that drought and forest fires did affect air quality, but said it was not just the two factors that contributed to the deterioration in air quality in New York in 2018, citing emissions from coal-fired power stations and fire-burning heaters.
The director of the environment said the new state government has always taken emissions regulation seriously. Upton said air emissions in the new state were tightly regulated by the new state environmental protection agency, (NSW EPA), and that government imposed restrictions on the use of firewood heaters and banned more than 1600 high-emission vehicles on the road over the past two years.