As far as air quality goes, Melbourne fares pretty well in the grand scheme of the world's major cities – just last year, Australia was named as the country that had the most major cities with clean air. And with plenty of fresh air to breathe in, it means we can go about our business in the CBD without worrying about the impacts on our health.
However, a new report has revealed this may not be entirely true. Never-before-seen data has highlighted that one of our major transport hubs has dangerously high air pollution levels, which could have serious health impacts for commuters and workers.
A new report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has warned that Southern Cross Station has some of the "least clean" air in the whole city, after the publication acquired data on pollution levels from the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning. This data has never been publicly available until now, and it has some alarming statistics.
Experts have had long-held concerns about the air pollution levels at the station, particularly in the bus section, due to diesel fume emissions. According to the report by the ABC, the new data (which includes air monitoring results from a period of more than a decade) shows that the pollution is so high it "puts human health at risk".
The Environmental Protection Authority's (EPA) guide on nitrogen dioxide air quality thresholds states that a poor quality rating equates to 120-180 NO2 parts per billion and extremely poor quality is more than 360 parts per billion. According to the new data on Southern Cross Station's air quality, the level of NO2 in the bus station section is 1,200 parts per billion averaged over 24 hours, for the last 12 years. This means the air is 3.5 times worse than extremely poor levels.
The air around the train platforms is better than the bus depot, but still above the EPA limits for outdoor areas. It's important that these levels are regulated, as they can present serious risks for people with health conditions. Those who are most likely to be impacted are people who suffer from asthma, heart conditions and pregnant women. For those who suffer from respiratory conditions, even a short period of exposure can cause illness. Long-term exposure to diesel pollution even has the potential to cause lung cancer.
While this is a very serious issue for Melburnians who frequent the station, there is some hope. The data suggests that in recent years pollution levels have decreased, particularly in 2022 when upgrades improved ventilation and air flow. And now that these revelations have been made public, hopefully further action will be taken to fix it.
In the meantime, if you're travelling via Southern Cross Station, it would be wise to dig out your face mask from the days of the pandemic to protect yourself. You can read the full, in-depth report by the ABC here.
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