OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS REGARDING URBAN OZONE IN AUSTRALIA

The control of ozone pollution in our largest cities has been the subject of a great deal of attention and debate. However, there are still important outstanding questions to be resolved. Ozone levels in Melbourne and Sydney have fallen by 30 per cent since 1976 and the ambient air hydrocarbon concentration in Sydney has also fallen. The concentration of nitrogen oxides in the air in Melbourne is three times higher than in Sydney, yet peak ozone levels are lower. There are no published data on hydrocarbon levels in the Melbourne air shed. The ozone levels in Melbourne are strongly correlated with the previous year's rainfall. This correlation is consistent with a large contribution to total hydrocarbon emissions from natural sources. Motor vehicle populations, the main target for further control need much closer study. The official estimates show that in 1976 the emissions per kilometre were higher in Melbourne than in Sydney. Hydrocarbon emissions were 49 per cent higher and nitrogen oxide emissions 35 per cent higher. An estimate of the population exposed to ozone pollution should be made in Australia. The man-day exposure rate per year in the major us cities changes by a factor of four when the maximum level is changed from 0.10 ppm (suggest for Melbourne) to 0.15 ppm (the objective for Sydney). More research is necessary before the scientific community and industry can accept the need for a major change in the emission standards for light motor vehicles in Australia. This paper was presented in Session 4: Technological and Economic Factors in Vehicle Emission Controls. The number of the covering abstract for the conference is TRIS no. 377996. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0959900268
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the Conference on Air Pollution into the Eighties; the National Quest for Emission Controls, Canberra, October 29-30, 1979.
• Corporate Authors:

  Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand

  Eastwood, New South Wales,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Hamilton, R B
• Publication Date: 1979-10

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 30 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Conferences; Crash exposure; Exhaust gases; Hydrocarbons; Nitric oxide; Nitrogen; Nitrogen oxides; Oxides; Ozone; Rainfall; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Exposure
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• ITRD Terms: 8006: Australia; 1394: Catalytic converter; 8525: Conference; 7367: Hydrocarbon; 7128: Nitrogen; 7372: Oxide; 313: Urban area
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00377999
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• ISBN: 0 9599002 6 8
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 30 1983 12:00AM