10 April 2006

Vehicle emissions to be tested

Cars’ contribution to air pollution at State Highway 2, near Lower Hutt is about to be tested. A new mobile air quality monitoring station has been set up alongside SH2 at the Melling Intersection, Lower Hutt.

Vehicle emissions are our region’s biggest contributor to air pollution, regardless of the wind. Motor vehicle emissions account for 94% of nitrogen oxides, 78% of carbon monoxide and many of the fine particles in the region’s air.

“We’ve chosen to monitor air quality at Melling because we’ll get good readings from vehicle emissions, with little interference from other sources of air pollution,” says Greater Wellington air quality scientist Perry Davy.
Air pollution can affect people who already have health problems, making them sicker and even contributing to their deaths.

The cost of health care and days off work or school adds up to millions of dollars every year.

Greater Wellington already monitors air quality throughout the Wellington region with stations in Wellington, Masterton, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Wainuiomata.

“We use the information to assess the effectiveness of our air quality management strategies, for example, providing public transport and encouraging people to tune their cars,” Perry says.

The station will be at Melling Intersection for about a year, and air pollution data will be collected from it automatically.

ENDS

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