Air quality in Springwood

How bad is the air quality in Springwood?

Springwood is a town located approximately 72 kilometres west of Sydney’s central business district, within the Blue Mountains region. Like much of the rest of Australia, and New South Wales, Springwood generally experiences relatively healthy air quality most of the time, by international comparison. However, this part of the world is also vulnerable to periodic extreme air pollution events, most frequently as a result of occurrences such as bushfires and dust storms, which can cause air pollution levels to increase dramatically.

While there is no continuous government air quality monitor established in Springwood, a recent temporary government monitoring project, between May 2019 to May 2020 found that air quality in Springwood and the Blue Mountains area achieved Australia’s national air quality standards for the majority of the time, only exceeding these standards during exceptional pollution events such as bushfires.¹ Australia’s standards, known as the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure (Air NEPM), were established in 1998 (with some subsequent revisions), as a guideline level to limit various key air pollutants so as to minimise public health risk. The NEPM guidelines typically offer a short-term (such as 24-hour) and long-term (such as annual) target for different pollutants. The Blue Mountains monitoring project found that, during the period of severe bushfires that afflicted Australia between the summer months of October 2019 to February 2020, later known as the “black summer” due to its devastating nature, this area including Springwood did exceed the NEPM daily standard for PM2.5, which is up to an average daily concentration of 25 μg/m³, on 42 occasions. During such times of elevated air pollution, it is advisable to take precautions to minimise exposure to the airborne pollution, for example by wearing a mask outside, purifying indoor air where possible, and reducing outdoor physical activity until conditions improve.

Real-time air quality information is displayed in the Springwood air quality map at the top of this page, which uses satellite air pollution data, and also includes live wildfire updates. These can be followed at any time using the IQAir AirVisual air pollution app, together with a 7-day Springwood air quality forecast, to stay updated on changing air quality conditions.

What are the health effects of Springwood air pollution?

Air pollution can cause a wide range of health effects, even when experienced at relatively low levels such as found in the Blue Mountains area and New South Wales, most of the year round. There is no known “safe” limit below which air pollution (particularly particle pollution) causes no negative health impacts, as emphasised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).²

Particle pollution is one of the key types of pollution of concern in New South Wales, along with ozone. This is both because these pollutants pose notable health hazards to populations worldwide, but also because these pollutants most often exceed Australia’s NEPM standards, within NSW state. Particulate matter describes miniscule airborne particles with various chemical makeups measuring less than 2.5 or 10 microns in diameter, abbreviated as PM2.5 or PM10 respectively. These particles are particularly hazardous to humans, since once inhaled, their tiny size enables them to be carried far into the human system, entering the lungs and, in the case of PM2.5, moving beyond into the bloodstream, causing a range of health effects. Exposure to PM can cause a variety of short- and long-term effects. Short-term effects can include the aggravation of existing conditions such as asthma, the irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, as well as other cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms, such as coughing. Long-term effects can increase the risk of developing diseases such as lung cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, referring to a group of diseases which contribute to difficulty breathing, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema), and the reduced development of lung functions.³

What are the main sources of air pollution in Springwood?

The main sources of particle pollution in New South Wales are estimated to come from residential wood heating, coal mining, vehicle exhausts, generation of electricity, industrial activities, and prescribed burns and bushfires, according to the NSW government.³

What is Springwood doing about air pollution?

Springwood’s air quality is governed by regulation at multiple levels, with national legislation such as Australia’s National Clean Air Agreement, which was published in 2015, outlining a national framework and priorities for addressing air quality issues around the country. The New South Wales state government is also responsible to monitor air quality at key locations around the state, to check whether air quality levels achieve Australia’s NEPM standards, with the possibility to intervene and take actions to improve air quality where necessary. However, there is no government monitor established to monitor Springwood’s air quality on a permanent basis. The closest government air quality monitor to Springwood is that established to measure Penrith’s air quality, a nearby city approximately 20 kilometres east from Springwood, located near the foothills of the Blue Mountains.

However, between May 2019 and May 2020, a temporary air quality monitoring project was carried out in the Blue Mountains area by a multi-stakeholder partnership, between the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), NSW’s Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE), the Blue Mountains City and Lithgow councils, among others. This project established one reference air quality monitor at Katoomba, approximately 28 kilometres west from Springwood, and twelve low-cost community air quality sensors were established in other areas, with three in the Springwood area. It was the first monitoring project of its kind by Australian government since the late 1990s. From the project’s monitoring results, which indicated that the region’s air quality achieved the national NEPM targets most of the time (aside from during exceptional events such as wildfires and dust storms), the report concluded that no specific actions should be recommended to further improve air quality in this area.

In the meantime, at the local level, the Blue Mountains Council also supports both the statewide and national governance of Springwood’s air quality, by providing information and resources to advise its population on responsible backyard burning and the proper installation and usage of wood heaters, to minimise emissions from these activities. The Council also has authority to investigate local complaints of air pollution nuisances caused by excessive smoke from these kinds, or other sorts of polluting activities in its region.⁴

+ Article resources

[1] NSW EPA, Western Sydney University, NSW Government. “Blue Mountains and Lithgow Ambient Air Quality Monitoring. Final Report 1st June 2019 – 31st May 2020”. NSW EPA website, November 19, 2020.
[2] World Health Organisation. “Ambient (outdoor) air pollution”. WHO website, May 2, 2018.
[3] NSW Government. “Consultation paper: Clean Air for NSW”. NSW Government EPA website, 2016.
[4] Blue Mountains City Council. “Neighbourhood issues: Woodsmoke”. Blue Mountains City Council website, n.d.