Surprisingly, wood smoke from domestic heating is the biggest contributor to the composition of fine air particles in Muswellbrook.
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The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) and NSW Health released the results of the Upper Hunter Fine Particle Characterisation Study in town last Friday.
The report by the CSIRO and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) looked at the composition of PM2.5 particles – particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres – at Muswellbrook and neighbouring Singleton.
OEH head of science Dr Kate Wilson said the results from the study provided the public and the NSW Government with a better understanding of what makes up the very fine particles that the communities in both towns are exposed to.
Sources of PM2.5 in the Upper Hunter include mining, coal-fired power generations, diesel vehicles, road and rail transport, solid fuel heaters and bushfires and hazard reduction burns.
“The Upper Hunter Fine Particle Characterisation Study was commissioned by OEH and NSW Health to provide local communities in the two main Upper Hunter towns, Muswellbrook and Singleton, with rigorous scientific information about air quality locally,” Dr Wilson said.
“The findings show considerable seasonal variation in fine particle composition.
“Wood smoke dominates at both sites during the winter, while particles associated with regional sources of sulphur dioxide make higher contributions during summer months.”
NSW Health’s director of environmental health Dr Wayne Smith said the study focused on PM2.5 particles because the evidence showed they had the largest health impact.
“By understanding the sources of PM2.5 that contribute most to human exposure, we can make informed decisions about how best to reduce this particle pollution in a way that will provide the greatest health benefit for the community,” he told media representatives in Muswellbrook on Friday.
CSIRO’s Dr Mark Hibberd, a member of the NSW Health expert advisory committee on air pollution, said the results offered the most comprehensive analysis of fine particles in the main population centres of the Upper Hunter.
“It provides an excellent scientific basis for the government to target programs aimed at reducing fine particle pollution,” he said.
“The finer particles are of greatest concern because of their impact on health and have been a focus in the development of the upcoming National Plan for Clean Air.”