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Niwa scientists assess the impact of Auckland's southern motorway on air quality - Source: Niwa
Niwa scientists are assessing the impacts of Auckland's southern motorway on air quality in a nearby suburb.
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research's biggest-ever scientific air quality campaign will look at the long-term effects of motorways and wood smoke on air quality.
The scientists, along with Kim Dirks from Auckland University and Simon Kingham from Canterbury University, are studying the long-term and seasonal variations of concentrations of air pollutants. They have analysed emissions from the motorway, their dispersion downwind, and the penetration of outdoor air into the indoor environment.
Niwa designed a mobile air-quality system in a late model vehicle and sampling tubes were positioned on lampposts, while three monitoring stations were positioned within the one square kilometre study area in Otahuhu.
"It's a flat neighbourhood which allows us to concentrate on the effects of dispersion, and it's a very typical New Zealand layout, with small sections and low density houses - it means that we can apply our results to other locations across New Zealand," says air quality scientist, Ian Longley.
A Canterbury University PhD student rented a house in the area and monitored the outdoor and indoor air quality of his surroundings.
Niwa says international research shows that the air pollution impact of major roads is significant for up to one or two hundred metres.
In New Zealand, there is a risk that National Environmental Standards for air quality and World Health Organisation guidelines might be breached alongside major roads.
"These findings will help clarify and identify locations where the impacts of transport emissions are significant," Longley said.
Poor air quality can have very serious long-term health effects for those with pre-existing respiratory conditions, e.g., chronic bronchitis, asthma, and cardiovascular conditions.
The scientists are also investigating the significance of wood smoke in the area to compare its impact with emissions from traffic.
