Brooklyn has retained its unenviable record as Melbourne’s most polluted suburb.
New Environment Protection Authority data reveals that 108 days exceeding the PM10 air quality objective have been recorded in the dust-plagued suburb in the past four years – more than five times the maximum recommended level of five days per year.
Levels of PM10 – particles smaller than 10 micrometres in size that may worsen allergic reactions or asthma attacks – have increased in the past two years.
State Williamstown MP Wade Noonan said about 10 per cent of the 316 pollution abatement notices issued in Victoria last financial year were served on Brooklyn businesses, according to the EPA’s annual report. The EPA said 14 new dust notices were planned to be issued this year.
The Year 3 of Air Monitoring at Brooklyn report, released last week, points to the need to improve practices at container parks and other high-risk sites, as well as improve roads and implement the Brooklyn Evolution plan.
But the EPA has come under fire for blaming dust levels equal to Black Saturday partly on the weather.
Brooklyn Residents Action Group secretary Bert Boere said that if the source of the pollution was eliminated, the weather wouldn’t matter. “We can’t get those high [pollution] levels unless those problem sites and problem roads are still there.”
EPA spokeswoman Tanya O’Shea justified the inclusion of weather influences for the first time in its annual report.
“The weather this year has created more risk for potential poor air quality than in the past two years. This reinforces the need for a more generous strategy on roads and approaches to industry,” she said.
