High quality Teflon filters have been installed in the monitors by NSW Health to allow for speciation of small airborne particles.

NSW Health expert advisory committee spokesperson Dr David Durrheim said the filters will allow for speciation in addition to verifying the PM2.5 and PM1 distribution in the Hunter Valley airshed.

“They are installed in the monitors purchased by NSW Health to provide better understanding of the contributions by various air pollution sources including industry, agriculture and the environment,” he told The Singleton Argus.

Singleton now has six monitors in the Local Government Area online.

Each shows a seven day window that graphs hourly averages of readings with the Civic Avenue and Camberwell monitors measuring both PM2.5 and PM10. The four others, Singleton North, Maison Dieu, Mt Thorley and Bulga, show readings of PM10 only.

The new map based data also presents hourly wind speed and direction at the location of each monitor.

The NSW Health expert advisory committee were to also consider the health aspects of the blasting code of practice at their meeting yesterday.

All fourteen monitors in the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network are on target to be online by the end of this year.

To see the map on the internet go to

www.environment.nsw.gov.a u/aqms/uhunteraqmap.htm