Air quality in Lismore

How bad is Lismore’s air quality?

Lismore is a city located in the north-eastern part of New South Wales, set approximately 30 kilometres inland from nearby coastal city Ballina, and a major regional centre of NSW’s Northern Rivers region. Like the rest of Australia, New South Wales, including Lismore experiences relatively healthy air quality most of the year round, in comparison to global locations. However, the region is also prone to experience short-term extreme air pollution events, most frequently caused by dust storms and bushfires, which can significantly elevate the amount of pollutants in the air.

The New South Wales government monitors a range of key air pollutants across the state. These include particulate matter (describing tiny airborne particles measuring 2.5 or 10 microns in diameter or less, abbreviated as PM2.5 or PM10 respectively), ozone (O₃), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and visibility. Of these, particulate matter and ozone are the main pollutants of concern within NSW, both since these pollutants present notable health hazards to Australians, and furthermore these pollutants most frequently exceed Australia’s air quality standards at sites within New South Wales. The Australian standards, known as the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure (Air NEPM) are guidelines set for criteria pollutants, usually at a short-term (e.g. 24 hour) or long-term (such as annual) interval, to benchmark air pollution at a level deemed to minimise health risks to the population. Australia has one of the strictest national standards for PM2.5 in the world, with an annual target of 8 μg/m³; this is lower than the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s annual PM2.5 target (10 μg/m³), as well as the United States of America’s (12 μg/m³), and that of the European Union (25 μg/m³). This low annual standard generally reflects the typically low levels of air pollution found in Australia, foregoing occasional exceptions due to extreme events such as wildfires.

Live air pollution information is displayed within the Lismore air quality map at the head of this page, together with real-time wildfire updates. Lismore’s latest air quality data can also be followed at any time using the IQAir AirVisual air pollution app, together with a 7-day Lismore air quality forecast, to stay prepared for adverse conditions.

What are the health impacts of Lismore air pollution?

Exposure to air pollution can have a wide range of health effects. Even at low levels such as found within New South Wales, Lismore and broader Australia, exposure to air pollution can contribute towards significant health hazards. Particulate matter is known to be one of the most hazardous pollutants to human health, both since it is one of the most widespread pollutants affecting human populations worldwide, and critically, because these particles’ tiny size makes them particularly pernicious. Upon inhalation, they can penetrate deep into the human system, entering the lungs and in the case of PM2.5, going beyond into the bloodstream. Short-term effects of exposure to PM can include aggravation of existing conditions such as asthma, the irritation of eyes, nose and throat, respiratory symptoms and lung inflammation. Long-term exposure can result in the development of cardiovascular and respiratory disease, such as lung cancer and increased chronic pulmonary obstructive disorder (COPD, an umbrella term for a group of lung conditions that can cause breathing difficulties, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis), in addition to reduced lung function for children and adults.¹

Where does Lismore air pollution come from?

The main sources of New South Wales air pollution from particulate matter, including in Lismore, include emissions from coal mining, residential wood heating, vehicles, industry, electricity generation, and planned burning and wildfires, according to the NSW Government.¹

Is Lismore affected by the fires in Australia?

Australia has long experienced periodic fires across the country, with an established fire season. Australia fires are most often started through natural causes, such as a stroke of lightning, but can also begin through human influence, either accidentally (from an unintended spark), or deliberately, via planned burning or arson. During the summer of 2019-2020, Australia experienced one of its worst fire seasons on record, which came to be known as the “black summer”. This season was exceptionally damaging, due to months of drought, low rainfall, and record-breaking temperatures preceding it, creating unusually hot and dry conditions which enable fires to thrive. New South Wales was the worst hit of any state during the black summer, tragically the state in which 26 of a total 33 lives across Australia were counted as lost directly to the fires, along with destroying 2,448 homes, and 5.5 million hectares of land being burned.² Lismore was no exception to being affected by the fires. At the start of the season, Lismore had no access to live air monitoring data from the government, as part of a long, un-monitored stretch of north NSW coast between Newcastle and Tweed Heads.³ However, the severity of smoke pollution that Lismore was exposed to prompted the New South Wales government to set up a temporary monitor in November 2019, given the prolonged and hazardous fire smoke. One source estimated that the smoke levels in Lismore in early December 2019 were equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes per day.⁴

What is Lismore doing about air pollution?

The New South Wales government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) is responsible to carry out air quality monitoring across the state, in order to try to ensure that New South Wales’ air quality achieves the country’s national NEPM standards. Accordingly, governmental air quality stations are established at key sites statewide. A governmental monitoring station was first set up in Lismore in response to the extreme smoke pollution caused during the black summer’s fires of 2019-2020, initially as a temporary, emergency monitoring station located in Wilson Park School between November 2019 and March 2020. Following this, a subsequent station has been established at the Northern Rivers Aero Club, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, contributing an additional data point to NSW’s Rural Air Quality Network.⁵ The new Lismore station measures hourly concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10, which are reported publicly to help support Lismore residents to react when needed to protect health against air pollution spikes.

+ Article resources

[1] NSW Government. “Consultation paper: Clean Air for NSW”. NSW Government EPA website, 2016.
[2] Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub. “New South Wales, July 2019 – March 2020. Bushfires – Black Summer”. Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub website, November 17, 2020.
[3] Claudia Jambor, Wiriya Sati. “Calls for air quality monitoring as northern NSW braces for severe bushfire season”. ABC Mid North Coast, September 6, 2019.
[4] Ben Graham and wires. “Warnings as fires still raging out of control in NSW”. News Com AU website. December 4, 2019.
[5] NSW Government DPIE. “Lismore air quality monitoring station”. NSW Government website, July 10, 2020.