Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home
Main menu
  • Home
  • About us
    • NEPC Committee
    • Jurisdictional agencies
    • Business Services Team
  • NEPMs
    • Air Toxics
    • Ambient Air Quality
    • Assessment of Site Contamination
    • Diesel Vehicle Emissions
    • Movement of Controlled Waste
    • National Pollutant Inventory
    • Used Packaging
  • Projects
    • NChEM
    • National Waste Policy
    • Packaging impacts
  • Publications
    • NEPC annual reports
    • Archive
      • SCEW Archive
      • EPHC Archive
      • ANZECC reports

National Environment Protection Council

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Publications
  3. Archive
  4. EPHC Archive
  5. EPHC Archive - Ambient Air Quality NEPM

Sidebar navigation

    • Home
    • About us
      • NEPC Committee
      • Jurisdictional agencies
      • Business Services Team
    • NEPMs
      • Air Toxics
      • Ambient Air Quality
      • Assessment of Site Contamination
      • Diesel Vehicle Emissions
      • Movement of Controlled Waste
      • National Pollutant Inventory
      • Used Packaging
    • Projects
      • NChEM
      • National Waste Policy
      • Packaging impacts
    • Publications
      • NEPC annual reports
      • Archive
        • SCEW Archive
        • EPHC Archive
        • ANZECC reports

EPHC Archive - Ambient Air Quality NEPM

Caution: archived content

Information previously available on the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) website (www.ephc.gov.au) is listed in this archive. These pages are no longer being maintained or updated but remain here as an archive for your information.

 

What's currently happening

For current information about the Ambient Air Quality NEPM see:

  • National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure

In June 1998, the NEPC made the Ambient Air Quality NEPM which set uniform standards for ambient air quality. The standards in the NEPM for ambient air quality are listed below. In 2003 the NEPM was varied to add an advisory reporting standard for PM2.5.

Please note that ambient air does not include indoor air.

Annual reporting

The Ambient Air Quality NEPM requires each participating jurisdiction to submit a report on PM2.5 monitoring and data assessment to Council by 30 June next following each reporting year.  A reporting year is defined in the NEPM as a year ending on 31 December.

  • Monitoring reports

Ambient Air Quality NEPM Review - Air Quality Standards Discussion Paper - 2010

  • Discussion paper and submissions

Monitoring plans

Jurisdictional monitoring plans are approved by Environment ministers under a ministerial agreement established by NEPC. Links to jurisdiction's monitoring plans are listed below:

  • Commonwealth
  • Australian Capital Territory (PDF - 74.92 KB)
  • New South Wales
  • Northern Territory
  • Queensland
  • South Australia
  • Tasmania
  • Victoria
  • Western Australia

Peer Review Committee Technical Papers

The Peer Review Committee developed a set of guidance papers that clarify technical issues in interpretation of the Ambient Air Quality NEPM protocol. These Technical Papers provide the basis for Peer Review Committee assessment of jurisdictional plans, aimed at assuring the quality and national consistency of NEPM monitoring.

The PRC Technical Papers are advisory for jurisdictions, and they evolve with time as the science of air quality monitoring and assessment develops and as practical experience with monitoring increases.

  • Technical Paper 01 - Checklist for Monitoring Plans - Peer Review Committee, May 2001 (PDF - 107.72 KB)
  • Technical Paper 02 - Selection of Regions - Peer Review Committee, May 2001 (PDF - 126.98 KB)
  • Technical Paper 03 - Monitoring Strategy - Peer Review Committee, May 2001 (PDF - 131.97 KB)
  • Technical Paper 04 - Screening Procedures - Peer Review Committee, January 2007 (PDF - 141.1 KB)
  • The Air Pollution Model (TAPM) Phase 2 Report -Peer Review Committee, October 2002 (PDF - 416.27 KB
  • Technical Paper 05 - Data Collection and Handling (PDF - 168.68 KB)
  • Technical Paper 06 - Meteorological Measurements - Peer Review Committee, May 2001 (PDF - 1.82 MB
  • Technical Paper 07 - Accreditation of Performance Monitoring - Peer Review Committee, May 2001 (PDF - 131.74 KB)
  • Technical Paper 08 - Annual Reports - Peer Review Committee, September 2010 (PDF - 189.21 KB)
  • Technical Paper 08 - Annual Reports - Peer Review Committee, October 2002 (PDF - 300.3 KB)
  • Technical Paper 09 - Lead Monitoring - Peer Review Committee, May 2001 (PDF - 145.26 KB)
  • Technical Paper 10 - Collection and Reporting of TEOM PM10 Data - Peer Review Committee, May 2001 (PDF - 190.33 KB)
  • Terms of Reference - August 1999 (PDF - 24.85 KB)

PM2.5 Equivalence Program

When the variation to the Ambient Air Quality NEPM was made in 2003 to incorporate advisory reporting standards for PM2.5, provision was made for a program to determine whether manual gravimetric methods of monitoring PM2.5 and continuous methods (such as the TEOM) can be considered equivalent. The reference method for monitoring PM2.5 is the manual gravimetric method. The TEOM does not have reference or equivalence status through the USEPA designations for monitoring of PM2.5 due to issues related with loss of volatiles.

All jurisdictions are now monitoring PM2.5 using the designated reference method for sampling.

The findings of these collocation studies will be used to determine the appropriate method(s) for PM2.5 monitoring under the NEPM.


Risk assessment and standard setting

When the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) made the NEPM for Ambient Air Quality in 1998, it established the Risk Assessment Taskforce (RATF) to investigate the potential for the use of risk assessment in the NEPC context, particularly in relation to ambient air quality standards.

The membership of the RATF was drawn from State and Commonwealth agencies, industry, and the conservation movement. It was chaired by the NEPC Executive Officer.

The RATF completed its Report in October 2000.

NEPC Committee agreed that:

  • health risk assessment is one possible tool for setting standards;
  • the standard setting process used (including the possible use of health risk assessment) will be determined on a case-by-case basis for each pollutant;
  • the possible use of health risk assessment in setting standards for a given pollutant would require an assessment of the availability of relevant data and the cost effectiveness of the approach(es) suggested.

In addition, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) established a standard setting working group to develop an agreed approach to setting Australian air quality standards. The working group comprises equal representation of health and environment sectors and is jointly chaired by a representative from the EPHC and from the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council.

A draft framework has been developed that builds on the RATF Report but extends beyond risk assessment to take into account health impacts, social, economic and environmental impacts, exposure assessment, together with a review of international approaches to standard setting. A workshop involving health and environment experts from around Australia and overseas was held in July 2006 to finalise an agreed approach to health risk assessment.

During 2007/2008 work was undertaken to develop the exposure assessment component of the risk assessment framework and it is anticipated that the recommended approach will be presented to EPHC for release for public consultation in early 2009.

  • AAQ NEPC - Air Standards Public Consultation Presentation - Jul-Aug 2010 (PDF - 648.04 KB)
  • AAQ Standards Setting - An Approach to Health-Based Hazard Assessment - Nov 2006 (PDF - 505.9 KB)

Report of the Risk Assessment Working Group

  • Report of the RAWG - Mar 2002 (PDF - 651.76 KB) Report of the RAWG - Mar 2002

Report of the Risk Assessment Taskforce

  • Report of the RATF - Oct 2000 (PDF - 284.04 KB)
  • Report of the RATF: App 1 - Terms of Reference and Membership of the Risk Assessment Taskforce - Nov 2000 (PDF - 83.01 KB)
  • Report of the RATF: App 2 - Review of Risk Assessment Methodologies Applicable to AAQ - Oct 1999 (PDF - 451.83 KB)
  • Report of the RATF: App 3 - Epidemiological Study Design and Data Requirements - Nov 2000 (PDF - 205.6 KB
  • Report of the RATF: App 4 - Health Effects of Criteria Pollutants - Nov 2000 (PDF - 250.67 KB)
  • Report of the RATF: App 5 - Ambient Air Monitoring Programs Around Australia - Nov 2000 (PDF - 361.72 KB
  • Report of the RATF: App 6 - Possible use of Health Risk Assessment in the Review of NEPM Pollutants Specified in 'Future Actions (PDF - 113.19 KB)
  • Report of the RATF: App 7 - Issues Raised in the Consultation Program - Nov 2000 (PDF - 208.84 KB)

Related NEPM documents

  • An Australian approach to setting air quality standards: Consultation draft - November 2009 (PDF - 659.94 KB)
  • Discussion Paper: Review of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure - Jun 2007 (PDF - 739.79 KB)
  • AAQ: Ozone: Report on the Preliminary Work for the Review of the Ozone Standard - Oct 2005 (PDF - 56.26 KB)
  • AAQ: Summary of Submissions: Ozone - Issues Paper - Review of the Ozone Standard - Oct 2005 (PDF - 75 KB)
  • Issues Scoping Paper: Review of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure - Oct 2005 (PDF - 214.49 KB)
  • AAQ: Issues Paper: Ozone - Preliminary Work on Ozone for the Review of the AAQ NEPM - May 2005 (PDF - 1.13 MB)
  • AAQ: SO2: Report on the Review of the Practicability of a 10 Minute Sulfur Dioxide Standard - Apr 2005 (PDF - 105.05 KB)
  • AAQ: Ozone: Additional Analysis of Durations for Ozone Data Analysis - Sep 2004 (PDF - 461.16 KB)
  • Ozone Data Analysis - Sep 2004 (PDF - 2.11 MB)
  • AAQ: Ozone: Summary of Outcomes - Review of the AAQ NEPM Ozone Standard - Workshop - May 2004 (PDF - 49.52 KB)
  • AAQ: Issues Paper: SO2 - Review of the Practicability of a 10 Minute Sulfur Dioxide Standard - Mar 2004 (PDF - 326.34 KB)
  • AAQ: Issues Paper: SO2 - Review of the Practicability of a 10 Minute Sulfur Dioxide Standard - Technical Background Paper - Mar (PDF - 725.55 KB)
  • AAQ: Summary of Submissions: SO2 - Issues Paper - Review of the Practicability of a 10 Minute Sulfur Dioxide Standard - Mar 2004 (PDF - 50KB)
  • NEPM: Variation to the Ambient Air Quality NEPM - 7 July 2003 (PDF - 58.93 KB)
  • Summary of Submissions - draft Variation to the AAQ NEPM (PM2.5) - Jun 2003 (PDF - 405.11 KB)
  • Technical Paper on Monitoring for Particles as PM2.5 - Mar 2003 (PDF - 139.58 KB)
  • Impact Statement: Draft variation to the Ambient Air Quality NEPM (PM2.5) - Oct 2002 (PDF - 402.13 KB)
  • Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterisation for the Development of a PM2.5 Standard - Sep 2002 (PDF - 689.23 KB)
  • Summary of submissions: Draft Ambient Air Quality NEPM and Impact Statement, June 1998 (PDF - 318.27 KB)
  • Ambient Air Quality NEPM - Revised Impact Statement - Jun 1998 (PDF - 883.13 KB)
  • A Review of Existing Health Data on Six Pollutants - May 1997 (PDF - 1.17 MB)
Was this page helpful?
Yes
No
We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

Footer

  • © Commonwealth of Australia
  • Freedom of Information
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Last modified: 14 November 2022

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging