EPA data reveals which suburbs top list for air quality in Victoria

MELBURNIANS in one exclusive bayside suburb are sniffing some of the state’s cleanest air, with some outer suburbs not far behind. Find out how other areas in Victoria rated.

BRIGHTONITES in the exclusive bayside suburb are sniffing some of the state’s cleanest air.

A snapshot of 2018 air quality data revealed that the well-heeled suburb, along with Box Hill and Macleod, recorded the highest rate of “good” and “very good” days.

Pollution officials say the sea breeze that pushes clean air across Brighton is likely to thank for its top rating.

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Well-sealed roads, few trucks and a lack of wood fire heaters also keep the air clean.

But industrial estates, poor roads and dusty carparks near monitoring sites are to blame in the worst performing suburbs — Geelong South, Brooklyn and Alphington.

A sea breeze from Brighton beach helps keep the suburb’s air clean. Picture: Jason Edwards

Brooklyn returned “poor” or “very poor” ratings on more than a quarter of the 136 days monitored.

Alphington and Geelong South recorded those ratings on 20 per cent of days, and Footscray and Dandenong on 15 per cent.

Babies, elderly or sick people are urged to stay indoors and not exercise outside when the ratings hit poor.

The warning is expanded to everyone when the rating plummets further to very poor.

Trucks, pictured in Footscray, and poorly-sealed roads are being blamed for bad air quality.

The Environment Protection Authority’s Tim Eaton said pollution from wood fire heaters cranked up during winter was enough to drop air quality.

The authority has 19 permanent monitoring stations across the state but is considering rolling out thousands of cheaper sensors.

Mr Eaton said it would give more people the power to check their suburb’s air quality hourly.

“In winter in some regional towns, because of wood fire heater use, you might not want to go for a jog at 7am,” Mr Eaton said.

“You might want to delay that jog until 10am.”

#Woodheaters can be a major cause of air pollution during #winter – so build a good fire that doesn’t make lots of smoke. #HotTip: Have your flue checked and cleaned by a professional before the fire gets its winter workout.https://t.co/ALeQ0DsS8V pic.twitter.com/pO2pQlm5es

— EPA Victoria (@EPA_Victoria) June 2, 2018

But research has revealed a quick fix to help Victorians right across the state improve their home’s air quality — pot plants.

Research, including a NASA clean air study, revealed that the greenery can suck harmful agents, such as benzene and formaldehyde, from the air.

And analysis by Melbourne University and RMIT found a single medium plant improve a room’s air quality by 25 per cent.

Melbourne University’s Dr Dominque Hes said it was a particularly good move for homes in built-up, inner-city areas.

“As people spend more time indoors, we need to start bringing nature inside to get that benefit,” she said.

“It is probably the cheapest thing you can do to improve your wellbeing at home.”

Clare Harvey has plenty of plants at home. Picture: Jason Edwards

Fairfield’s Clare Harvey, 24, has stacked her bedroom, bathroom and living room with air cleansing plants.

She said the NASA study planted the seed to use indoor plants to purify her home.

“I’ve always loved gardening and it was a natural progression to bring that indoors,” Ms Harvey said.

“I also live in an older home, which can get quite dusty and draughty.

“I used to get a lot of colds or the flu quite a bit but since bringing in the plants I’ve noticed I don’t as much.”

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@moniquehore

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