Toxic petrol vapour plan welcomed

Monday, 13 August 2007 22:50

TEC has welcomed the release of discussion paper by the NSW Government on the introduction of petrol vapour recovery systems at petrol stations and urged the NSW Government to move towards rapid implementation.

TEC Urban Campaigner Mr Leigh Martin said “Petrol vapour emissions during refuelling are a major and growing source of air pollutants. Motorists are also exposed to dangerous chemicals such as benzene during refuelling. Capturing these vapours will make a valuable contribution to improving our air quality and protecting public health”.

“The technology which is well proven should also be installed at all petrol stations.  Some smaller independent stations are complaining about the cost, but if they don’t do it then they will lose customers to their competitors who aren’t poisoning car owners.”

In Sydney alone, refuelling emissions currently account for around 5,500 tonnes of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions per year. VOCs combine with oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) in the presence of sunlight to form ground level Ozone – the major constituent of harmful photochemical smog. Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, irritation to the eyes and nose and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma.

Breathing petrol vapour can also have direct impacts. Vehicle refuelling makes the most significant contribution to the population’s exposure to benzene Benzene a human carcinogen for which there is no absolutely safe level of exposure. Long-term exposure to benzene has been linked with increased incidence of leukaemia.

“Removing petrol vapours from the air we breathe is long overdue. The technology has been proven overseas and in recent Australian trials. There should be no barrier to its immediate introduction,” Mr Martin said.

Technology for capturing these emissions at the pump has been available for decades with the technology first adopted in parts of the United States in 1972 and since adopted by many European and Asian countries. It has also been shown to work in NSW with successful trials at Blacktown and Gosford Council depots in 2004.

TEC also believes that action taken to introduce petrol vapour recovery systems in NSW will prompt action by the Commonwealth and other state governments.  “There is no doubt that petrol vapour recovery systems should be adopted Australia wide. Successful introduction in NSW is sure to provide the spur for other governments to follow suit, Mr Martin said.