Darwin air quality scores half-star rating from dry season fires

The air quality in the Top End has been rated as among the worst in the country, with one dry season activity to blame. Read how the health of Territorians is impacted.

Darwin’s air quality has rated among the worst in Australia, as burning off during dry season sends the pollution amount sky-high.

And research into the long-term impacts of poor air pollution has laid bare the devastating health outcomes Territorians are exposed to.
Both monitoring stations in the Top End — one in Palmerston and one in Winnellie — received a 0.5 star rating out of a possible five for measurements received between 2016 and 2021.

The research, conducted by the Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research, rated Darwin as equal lowest with Busselton in Western Australia compared to all other monitoring stations in the country.

Smoke from burning off during dry season is leading to poor health outcomes for Territorians. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Menzies Institute for Medical Research Environmental Health professor Fay Johnston said the high rates of pollutants affected not only physical health but also mental cognition of Territorians.

“Higher rates of air pollution mean higher rates of heart attacks, higher rates of diabetes, higher rates of lung disease,” she said.

“For pregnant women higher pollution means more chance of negative outcomes, like a greater risk of getting diabetes, a greater risk of the baby coming a bit early, being slightly smaller than it might have been otherwise.”

“It can also be associated with things like poor NAPLAN scores … because it also affects how well you concentrate.”

She said those born and raised in the Territory did not protect from the negative health impacts, but led to an increased risk of developing conditions like asthma.

UTAS Professor Fay Johnston says poor air quality results in worse health across the board, including increased risk of heart attacks. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The report said the low star rating in the NT could be attributed to the annual savanna fires in the Top End, with measurements of pollution more than three times higher during May to October than the rest of the year.

Prof Johnston said despite the pollution coming from a more “natural” source than traffic pollution, it was actually more dangerous.

“The emerging studies that have come out in the last five or 10 years suggest that it’s more harmful to health really, because it’s incomplete combustion,” she said.

“When you’re burning solid logs, there’s a lot of smouldering and when there’s incomplete combustion, you get a whole suite of additional pollutants.

“The rate of increase in hospital admissions for asthma and lung problems is double or more when its particles of smoke rather than other sources of background pollution.”

She said there were ways of protecting your health when the fires in the dry season start.

“We need a focus on protecting the population because there is smoke, it’s a part of life in Darwin — So getting the right information and education to people more at risk from smoke, cleaner air spaces, airconditioned spaces, indoor air cleaners, so that you can go to a cleaner air area when it is smoky.