MEDIA RELEASE
26 AUGUST 2015
LOW-COST POLLUTION SENSORS TACKLE AIR
POLLUTION MONITORING SHORTFALLS
Expert in atmospheric physics and meteorology, Professor Rod Jones to Deliver
Keynote Address at International Clean Air and Environment Conference
Traditionally, air pollution levels have been monitored at expensive, fixed stations
the size of a large caravan. As a consequence, Australia’s current air monitoring
(undertaken under the National Environment Protection Measure) is significantly
underestimating real-life exposures for many sections of the population.1
In addition, current monitoring activity is limited in geographic coverage and is not,
for example, undertaken in regional areas where there may be poor air quality due
to industrial or agricultural practices. As a result, the ability of communities and
local governments to access information about air quality in their own areas is
often limited.2 This is all about to change.
An expert in atmospheric physics and meteorology, Professor Rod Jones will
discuss a new approach to monitoring the air we breathe in his keynote address at
the International Clean Air and Environment Conference: low-cost pollution
detectors.
Prof Jones’ pollution sensors are small enough to fit in your pocket, stable enough
to be installed as long-term static detectors around a city, and sensitive enough to
detect small changes in air quality on a street-by-street basis. Their findings are
now informing research projects aimed at improving air quality in major cities
across Europe and North America.
“To work out the factors we should be worried about, and how we can intervene,
we need to rethink how we measure what’s going on,” said Prof Jones. “Even
though the effects of poor air quality on health are well known, irrefutable evidence
of the scale of the air quality issue and the benefits of ameliorating strategies is
urgently needed,” added Jones. “These low-cost sensors provide a means by
which to test new technologies that are coming online and for drawing on the
‘power of the Citizen’ to guide how society responds.”
His keynote presentation will demonstrate how low-cost sensors and networks
have the ability to provide valuable insights into environmental health, by
monitoring urban pollution, the upper atmosphere, air quality and the effects of
greenhouse gasses. Prof Jones will explain the results he has gathered from inner
city areas, airports and personal exposure, which provide us with an
unprecedented picture of air quality levels.
Australian Medical Association’s submission to Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs
Inquiry into the impacts on health of air quality
2
Ibid.
1
Jones is noted for his innovations in
spectroscopic techniques, such as
DOAS, CRDS and LIDAR. He has invested in the creation of low-cost, ultra-small
gas sensors and sensor networks, which he sees as crucial in the advancement of
understanding air pollution at a holistic level. In developing these gas sensors and
gas networks, Prof Jones has been responsible for major developmental programs
in air quality, exposure, emissions and human health.
Dr Mark Hibberd, President of CASANZ, said, “We are delighted to have Professor
Jones, who is an integral part of the clean air community and an expert in his field,
as a keynote speaker this year. The 2015 Conference is shaping up to be the
most exciting yet. We’re looking forward to welcoming the foremost experts in air
quality and environmental science to Melbourne.”
Prof Jones is a Professor of Atmospheric Science in the Centre for Atmospheric
Science, Department of Chemistry, at the University of Cambridge. He is currently
a Fellow at Queens’ College Cambridge where he teaches all aspects of
undergraduate physical chemistry. He holds a Bachelor of Physics and a Doctor of
Philosophy in Atmospheric Physics, both from the University of Oxford. Prof Jones
takes a special interest in the structure and composition of the atmosphere. His
interests extend to local air quality and global climate change, with particular
emphasis on atmospheric measurements in relation to these two fields.
-endsFor interviews, further information, and images, please contact:
Nick Koerbin, General Manager CASANZ, on 0418 568 093 or nkoerbin@casanz.org.au
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About CASANZ
The Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ) brings together
people with an interest in environmental science and management with particular
reference to air quality, climate change, and related issues. The Society promotes
the protection of the environment and has over 600 members, with a demographic
predominately from within Australia and New Zealand, but also extended to
various parts of the world. The Society is a non-government, non-profit
Organisation. For more information about CASANZ, please visit:
www.casanz.org.au.
About the 22nd International Clear
Air and Environment Conference
The 22nd Biennial International Clean Air and Environment Conference will run
from Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 September 2015. With the theme of New
Frontiers, the aim of the conference is to present the future of air quality to
delegates, by bringing together international and local speakers to stimulate
thinking, and promoting new ideas and tools that can be applied across the air
quality and climate change fields. Keynote speakers include Simon Birkett
(Director Clean Air London), Dr Sarah Henderson (British Columbia Centre for
Disease Control and University of British Columbia), and Professor Rod Jones
(Centre for Atmospheric Science, Department of Chemistry, University of
Cambridge). For more information about the International Clear Air & Environment
Conference, please visit: www.casanz2015.com
ABOUT THE 2015 CONFERENCE SPONSORS
Compliance Monitoring www.compliancemonitoring.com.au)
Compliance Monitoring formed in 2002 with the objective to offer a high quality
independent environmental monitoring service to industry and government.
Compliance Monitoring offers varied and innovative solutions for investigation,
regulatory compliance or in-line with a commitment to best practice principles.
Ektimo (www.ektimo.com.au)
Ektimo is a co-creation of three of the industry’s leading companies, EML Air, ETC
and ECS. Ektimo offer a diverse range of services including consulting,
environmental product sales, workplace testing, ambient testing, laboratory testing
and stack testing.
Ecotech (www.ecotech.com)
From air and water quality analysis to research instrumentation and blast
monitoring, Ecotech an industry leader. When Ecotech started distributing air
quality monitoring analysers in the 1970s, environmental protection and workplace
safety were in their infancy. Ecotech certified to ISO 9001 and ISO17025/NATA.
Thomson Environmental Services (www.thomsongroup.com.au)
Thomson Environmental Systems is a 100% Australian owned and operated
company specialising in monitoring equipment for Environmental Air Quality
Compliance, Process, Health, Laboratory, Clean Room and Research
applications. TES has offices in Sydney, South of Brisbane and Perth.
VicRoads (www.vicroads.vic.gov.au)
VicRoads delivers social, economic and environmental benefits to communities by
managing the Victorian arterial road network and its use as an integral part of the
overall transport system. Through its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy,
VicRoads is committed to making the transport system more sustainable.