Updated PM2.5 air quality categories provide clearer health guidance
The Department of Lands, Planning and Environment measures and publishes in real time air quality at 3 monitoring stations in the Darwin region.
Air quality is rated from “good” to “extremely poor” as an indication of how polluted the air is when measured against relevant National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure standards, or health guidelines.
The Northern Territory has recently adopted updated air quality categories for PM2.5, which are tiny particles, such as those contained in smoke, that can affect your health. These changes mean Territorians will now receive earlier and more frequent health alerts during events like bushfires and dust storms.
What’s changed?
Air quality will now be rated as ‘poor’ or worse when PM2.5 is more than 25 micrograms per cubic metre. The previous threshold was 50 micrograms per cubic metre. For more information on the updated ratings go to the NT EPA Air Quality Network website.
Why the change?
The NT has updated its alert system to help people take action to protect their health sooner.
The changes reflect current scientific evidence which shows that even short-term exposure to PM2.5, just 1 to 3 hours, can trigger or worsen conditions like asthma or cardiovascular conditions which were previously attributed to longer term 24-hour exposure.
The changes follow recommendations from the Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth) and the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
What does this mean for you?
You might notice more alerts for “poor”, “very poor”, or “extremely poor” air quality on the NT EPA Air Quality Monitoring table.
The NT Department of Health’s environmental health team will continue to issue alerts when air quality deteriorates on the NT Health Facebook and Secure NT website.
These alerts are designed to help you protect your health by taking appropriate actions to reduce exposure such as staying indoors, using air purifiers or face masks, or seeking medical advice if needed.
| Air quality category | Previous PM2.5 threshold -based on 1-hour average (micrograms per cubic metre) | Updated PM2.5 threshold based on 1-hour average (micrograms per cubic metre) |
|---|---|---|
Good | 0-25 | 0-12.5 |
Fair | 25-50 | 12.5-25 |
Poor | 50-100 | 25-50 |
Very Poor | 100-300 | 50-150 |
Extremely Poor | >300 | >150 |
