Data shows drop in air pollutants

National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) data has been released that shows emissions of a range of common air pollutants dropped slightly in 2009-10.

The NPI is a publicly accessible Australian Government database compiled in partnership with state and territory governments.
Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water Senator Don Farrell said the latest NPI data identified long-term trends showing that emissions of a range of common air pollutants - such as carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide and total volatile organic compounds - have either decreased slowly or remained steady.

National emissions of lead and its compounds have also continued to decrease.

“The release of this data is a timely example of the importance of the Inventory as a tool to inform state and territory government decisions on regulating pollution,” Senator Farrell said.

The NPI helps raise public awareness about pollution issues and provides the community with information about emissions in their local areas.

It includes data on 93 substances emitted into the environment from over 4200 industry and non-industry sources.

Data relating to substances including lead, mercury, fluoride, zinc and phosphorus is published through the database because of the possible health and environmental impacts of those substances.

This is the 12th year that the data has been available, allowing trends for individual companies and industry sectors to be tracked over time.

“The Australian Government is actively encouraging industry to reduce substance emissions and decrease waste,” Senator Farrell said.

“The Inventory data helps governments learn more about the effectiveness of these processes over time.”

More information can be found at www.npi.gov.au.