Bad air days advertised for all to see

Auckland's environment council is advertising breaches of pollution limits.

Auckland Regional Council says the bad air ads, which ran for the first time yesterday in the public notices section of the Herald, were a requirement under the Ministry for the Environment's air quality standards, which came into force late last year.

The ads say pollution limits for fine particles were breached three times last month in Pakuranga according to an air monitoring device in Bell Reserve on Pakuranga Rd.

The national standard for fine particles - suspended in the air, invisible to the naked eye and a fifth the diameter of human hair or less - is 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air but ranged between 63 and 65 micrograms on June 26, 28 and 29.

Fine particles are thought to contribute to respiratory problems including emphysema, asthma and bronchitis and limits are most likely to be breached on calm winter days because domestic fires are a big contributor. Car emissions contribute the most with a small amount also contributed by industry.

The information in the ads is fairly simple, but might be more user-friendly in the future.