Air Toxics NEPM

Air toxics include the following general categories of compounds: volatile and semi volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals and aldehydes.

There is a growing international recognition of the potential health risks associated with exposure to air toxics.

The NEPC made the Air Toxics NEPM in 2004. The purpose of the Air Toxics NEPM is to improve the information base regarding ambient air toxics within the Australian environment in order to facilitate the development of standards.

Air Toxics NEPM annual reporting - 2010

The Air Toxics NEPM requires each participating jurisdiction to submit a report 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. The purpose of reporting is to inform the public of progress in the assessment of sites and subsequent monitoring of air toxics. Reports for 2010 are available below.

Minor Variation to the Air Toxics NEPM

A mid-term review of the National Environment Protection (Air Toxics) Measure (the NEPM) began in November 2009 and reported to NEPC in June 2010.

The review found that monitoring methods required in the NEPM were not generally being used as they were too resource intensive. However, other internationally recognised methods were being used which provided data valuable to the overal goal of the NEPM of collecting sufficient data regarding air toxics in Australia to enable further decisions to be made. The National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) has made a minor variation to the NEPM to enable these methods, and the data collected, to be used in achieving the overall  outcome of the NEPM and increase our knowledge of air toxics in Australia.

The minor variation to the NEPM was registered with the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) on Tuesday, 25 October 2011. A notice was placed in the Commonwealth Government Gazette on Wednesday, 26 October 2011. The  minor variation to the NEPM is effective from Wednesday, 26 October 2011.

For further information on the minor variation to the Air Toxics NEPM, please contact the Secretariat on (02) 6274 1819 or SCEW.Secretariat@environment.gov.au