Wood heaters fouling Sydney's air

Tuesday, 03 July 2001 10:00

Commenting on the figures TEC Urban Campaigner Mr Leigh Martin said "The figures show alarming overnight levels of fine particle pollution throughout Sydney this winter. It is clear that the wood heaters are having a severe impact on air quality".

TEC has called on the State Government to introduce a scheme for metropolitan Sydney to complement the recently announced three year program to assist owners of old wood heaters to convert to non polluting alternatives. The program will begin in Albury, Armidale, Cooma, Lithgow and Orange.

Regional Pollution Index (RPI) figures show 7 nights in June in which particle concentrations in excess of the EPA's goal of 50 were recorded in one or more parts of Sydney. A further 13 nights produced readings in the medium to high range. The worst pollution occurred on the night of 23 June with a reading of 73 (almost 50% above the air quality goal) recorded in Sydney's north west. Significantly these readings fell sharply the following day, indicating that overnight fires were contributing most of the pollution.

This conclusion is supported by the findings of a paper presented at a recent firewood conference in Armidale, a city that has suffered from poor winter air quality from wood heaters for many years.

Ms Dorothy Robinson of the Armidale Air Quality Group told the conference that carbon dating by the EPA of air samples taken from 4pm to 8am near the Sydney CBD in July and August 1993 found that 67% of particulate air pollution at that time originated from burning wood. In the Blue Mountains the figure was 81%.

"High air pollution levels in winter are usually due to particles. Only a minority of Sydneysiders use wood heaters, but they are causing more than their fair share of particle pollution. EPA figures show that, on a winter weekend day, only 13% of Sydney's households use wood heaters, however those heaters emit 48.5 tonnes of particles, compared to 14.8 tonnes from vehicles", Ms Robinson said.

Fine particle pollution has been shown to increase mortality and hospital admissions from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, reduce lung function in children with asthma and increase respiratory symptoms in school children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that there is no safe level of particle pollution and the American Lung Association recommends that individuals should not burn wood, if alternative heating is available. Despite its colder climate, Christchurch, NZ intends to follow this advice and protect the health of its citizens by phasing out all wood heaters.

Sydney's fine particle pollution levels follow a summer of shocking ozone pollution, revealing the failure of the State Government's Action for Air program, a 25 year plan to improve air quality in the Greater Metropolitan Region of Sydney, the Illawarra and the Lower Hunter.
"It is obvious that the State Government's air quality programs have failed dismally and that Sydney is in the midst of an air quality crisis.

The white haze of photochemical smog that hung over the city in summer has been replaced a brown cloud of particle pollution this winter", Mr Martin said.