Exide community monitoring results 2009
Greater Wellington’s community monitoring of airborne lead levels around Exide’s Petone battery recycling plant show substantial declines in lead in air concentrations since monitoring conducted in 1999.
Greater Wellington conducted the monitoring at two sites (Waione and Kirkcaldy streets) from late February to June this year to see what sort of change had occurred in airborne lead levels since 1999. Results of last year’s monitoring study were not considered to be representative as the study coincided with major maintenance work and a plant shutdown.
The 2009 monitoring showed three-month average airborne lead levels of 0.035 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre) at Waione Street and 0.022 µg/m3 at Kirkcaldy Street. The 1999 three-month averages were 0.32 µg/m3 at Waione Street and 0.10 µg/m3 at Kirkcaldy Street.
The 2009 concentrations of lead in air measured in the community were less than the new US Environmental Protection Agency standard for lead in air (the US standard was lowered from 1.5 to 0.15 µg/m3 in October 2008) and the New Zealand ambient air standard (0.2 µg/m3)
Greater Wellington Environmental Regulation manager Alistair Cross said the decline in lead in air levels suggested Exide’s onsite improvements – with a new stack and baghouse installed last year – were having a positive impact.
He said the information gained through the monitoring would be important for assessing any risks to community health when Exide’s consent is up for renewal in 2011.
Download the full monitoring report.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Alistair Cross
Environmental Regulation manager
Environment Management Division
Greater Wellington Regional Council
P 802 0309
M 027 201 3571
E Alistair.Cross@gw.govt.nz
Exide community monitoring report - Q & A
Note: Under the Health Act, Regional Public Health is the body tasked with the lead role for public health protection from lead contamination. Any questions in relation to public health effects of lead should be directed to RPH.
Introduction
Greater Wellington has now repeated the lead in air community monitoring carried out in 1999 and 2008. The results of the 1999 monitoring were used, in part, to set boundary limits when Exide’s resource consent was reviewed in 2005.
The Environment Court noted that updated monitoring information was needed to confirm the validity of some of the health-risk assessment modelling undertaken for the review. The 2008 monitoring results were not considered to be representative as the monitoring coincided with major maintenance work and a period of plant shutdown at Exide.
What is the community monitoring for?
The community monitoring was undertaken to measure:
- concentrations of lead in outdoor air at the same two locations in Kirkcaldy Street and Waione Street that were monitored in 1999;
- ambient air concentrations of arsenic;
- estimated deposition velocities for lead at Waione Street and Kirkcaldy Street based on the GW ambient air monitoring results and the rates of deposited lead measured by Exide at both sites as a condition of their resource consent.
When was monitoring conducted?
From the 1 March to 5 July 2009
What did we find?
Concentrations of lead in air measured in the community were less than the new US Environmental Protection Agency standard for lead in air. The US standard was lowered from 1.5 to 0.15 µg/m3 in October 2008.
At Waione Street the 3-month lead in air average was 0.035 µg/m3. At Kirkcaldy Street the 3-month lead in air average was 0.022µg/m3.
What were the 1999 levels?
The 1999 three-month averages were 0.32 µg/m3 at Waione Street and 0.10 µg/m3 at Kirkcaldy Street.
How is monitoring conducted?
24-hour samples of total suspended particulate (airborne dust) were collected every second day using a high volume sampler from 1 March to 5 July 2009. The particulate filters were analysed in the laboratory to determine the concentration of lead and arsenic in air.
How does the community monitoring differ from Exide’s boundary monitoring?
Greater Wellington’s community monitoring differs from the fugitive emissions monitoring Exide does on its boundaries as a condition of its consent.
The community ambient air monitoring Greater Wellington conducted uses air filters exposed for 24-hours at a time, enabling results to be compared to the standard monitoring method used by the US EPA standard and the national ambient air quality guideline.
Exide’s boundary monitoring measures fugitive emissions using air filters exposed for six days at a time. Boundary emission limits are site-specific and are based on the human health risk assessment commissioned by Regional Public Health.