Annual air quality statement 2024

The Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN)

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) monitors ambient air quality in South Australia (SA) and assesses the data against national standards to identify public exposure to pollutants in the state to inform policy. The EPA also regulates air pollution sourced from licensed industries through an extensive air quality management framework.

In 2024, the EPA operated a total of ten long-term ambient air quality monitoring stations in SA to measure air pollutant levels in a nationally consistent manner. These stations continuously measured particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) and the gaseous pollutants nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO). In addition to the continuous monitoring, the EPA also monitors airborne lead levels in the regional city of Port Pirie.

Key findings of the 2024 air quality data analysis

• Annual average PM₁₀ levels ranged between 16–23 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) and were elevated across the whole state in 2024 when compared to 2023. This annual increase ranged from 7% at Christies to 32% at Elizabeth. See annual average PM₁₀ summary graph (Figure 1).
• The lack of rain since February 2024 may have been a significant contributor to increase dust levels across SA.
• Annual average PM₅ levels ranged from 5 – 6 µg/m³, which was higher than 2023 levels in most locations across Metropolitan Adelaide. This annual increase ranged from 8% at Birkenhead to 29% at North Haven.
• The annual average level of SO₂ in Port Pirie decreased by approximately 40% in 2024 (0.003 parts per million (ppm)) compared to 2023 (0.005 ppm) which is due to a recent transformation of the Nyrstar Port Pirie which is the major source of SO₂ in the Township.
• The Mount Barker Wood Smoke Study Report 2024 has been published and provides information about the impact of wood heaters on the air quality in that area.
  The report can be found here: https://www.epa.sa.gov.au/files/16107_mount_barker_wood_smoke_study_report_2024_final.pdf

Metropolitan Adelaide

• Annual average PM₁₀ levels ranged from 16 µg/m³ at the Adelaide CBD to 19 µg/m³ at Birkenhead and met the national standard for annual average PM₁₀ (25 µg/m³) at all locations.
• Daily average PM₁₀ levels exceeded the national standard of 50 µg/m³ on the 29^th (Birkenhead and Elizabeth) and 30^th of May (Christies and Elizabeth), which coincided with elevated dust levels throughout the region due to dry weather and strong wind conditions.
• PM₅ levels met the national standards of 8 µg/m³ (annual) and 25 µg/m³ (daily) at all monitoring locations.
• Levels of the gaseous pollutants met the national standards at all metropolitan Adelaide locations except for one exceedance of the 1-hour NO₂ standard of 0.120 ppm at the Adelaide CBD station which could be attributed to vehicular emissions as the CBD is a roadside air quality monitoring station.

Spencer Region

• Annual average PM₁₀ levels ranged from 21 µg/m³ at Port Pirie to 23 µg/m³ at Whyalla Walls St and were below the national standard of 25 µg/m³for annual average PM₁₀.
• There were 16 days when the daily average PM₁₀ levels didn’t meet the national standard of 50 µg/m3 in Whyalla at the Walls St monitoring station. This is twice the number of exceedances at this site compared to 2023.
• Daily average PM₁₀ levels at Schulz Reserve in Whyalla met the standard throughout the year
• The major sources of PM₁₀ in Whyalla are the local steelworks and wind-blown regional dust.
• There were 4 days where the daily average PM₁₀ levels at Port Pirie did not meet the national standard.
• The major sources of PM₁₀ in Port Pirie are local industry and wind-blown regional dust.
• There were 24 exceedances of the 1-hour SO₂ standard of 100 parts per billion (ppb) and 6 exceedances of the 1-day SO₂ standard of 20 ppb in Port Pirie at Oliver St. This is significantly lower than in 2023, where there were 99 exceedances of the 1-hour SO₂ standard and 28 exceedances of the 1-day SO₂
• Annual average levels of lead in air met the EPA’s licence limits at Oliver St and Pirie West Primary School monitoring stations. For more information please follow SA EPA Community Page on Port Pirie (Nyrstar).

Updates on the Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN)

In September 2024, the EPA started an ambient air quality monitoring campaign in Lefevre Peninsula which involved continuous monitoring of PM₁₀ and Total Suspended Particle (TSP) in two different locations (Peterhead and Birkenhead: Figure 3). The EPA monitoring location in Peterhead also includes two high-volume air samplers for the collection of ambient PM₁₀ and TSP samples on filters. In addition, EPA is also collecting deposited dust samples using a dust deposition gauge placed in a residential property at Walker St, Birkenhead. The filter samples and the dust deposited gauge samples are being analysed in certified laboratories for chemical and mineralogical compositions. This campaign will continue until September 2025 and a report will be published after the completion of the campaign.

In June 2024, the EPA decommissioned the long-term ambient air quality monitoring station at Netley following the expiration of its lease agreement. The EPA is now working to establish a new ambient air quality monitoring station in Cowandilla (Figure 4) to continue monitoring air quality in Western Adelaide which will be operational by the end of 2025.

The national standard for 1-hour SO₂ will be changed to 75 ppb in 2025, down from 100 ppb in previous years.

Further Information

• Hourly updated data from the AQMN.
• Validated data, including lead data, are available on Data SA.
• Further information about the EPA’s campaign monitoring and air quality studies is available on the Engage EPA website. 

Figure 2: Annual average PM_2.5 summary graph for 2024.

Figure 4: Conceptual Drawing of EPA’s Cowandilla ambient air quality monitoring station.