Air Pollution Report

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31769, 28 August 1968, Page 6

Air Pollution Report

The House of Representatives discussion on air pollution had been unfortunately misinformed, and he would like the Minister of Health (Mr McKay) to have the opportunity to make another statement that was a better representation of the truth, said Commander H. .1. A. Lynch, chairman of the air pollution committee, at a meeting of the Regional Planning Authority yesterday.

Commander Lynch was speaking to a report presented by the committee, and he said that one of the documents on which the report was based had as its author the Health Department’s Chief Chemicals Inspector (Mr R. T. Douglas), a former resident of Christchurch, who had shown the position in Christchurch to be unsatisfactory.

The authority adopted the report and decided to send copies of it to members of constituent councils, and to the Minister. Commander Lynch was commended for his work.

He said the committee’s next job would be to prepare a dpft clean air bill as a basis for something to be done on the practical side. The report put Christchurch property damage from air pollution in 1966 at between slm and s2m, and noted from American criteria that ill-effects to health resulted when sulphur dioxide measurements exceeded an annual average of 0.015 parts per million, 0.20 parts per million daily average, and 0.5 parts per million one hour average.

Christchurch figures in the report were based on readings taken at 24 stations between 1959 and 1964 by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Annual averages, in parts per million, were given as:— Cathedral Square and Moorhouse Avenue, 0.025; M.E.D. and Sydenham Park, 0.021: Hornby, 0.022; Addington and Woolston, 0.20; Spreydon, 0.14; Sockburn, 0.013; St Albans and North Linwood, 0.012; Shirley, Linwood Library and Upper Riccarton, 0.011.

The average for 19 sites was 0.017 over the year, and reached peaks where significant ill effects were likely. This meant, said Commander Lynch, that people could die in such conditions.

The average concentration of sulphur dioxide in the centre of the city over 24 hours this year was:—June 11, 0.07; June 12, 0.1; June 13, 0.07; June 14, 0.06. The report asked the authority’s constituent councils to accept the essential decisions that air pollution waste was costly, that it was largely avoidable, that leadership and responsibility for civic action rested wtih councils, and that all methods of reducing the “wasteful nuisance” should be pursued. As electricity produced no pollution, and gas and coke very little, councils should examine all domestic and nondomestic smoke sources, investigate the composting of garden refuse on a large seale, forbid the burning of

parks and reserves refuse, warn builders to avoid air pollution when new house permits were being issued, appoint pollution officers, support legislation and engage in joint anti-pollution publicity.