How are vehicles affecting your local air quality?

Cars are responsible for emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and lead. All of these emissions are harmful to human health. Nitrogen oxides (NO and/or NO₂) react with other chemicals to create low-level ozone, a precursor to toxic smog.

Can you help extend the Department of Environment and Conservations air monitoring network and answer the question: How do the NO₂ levels close to main roads in Perth compare to ambient levels measured at our monitoring stations?

The No_x Hotspots project

Your high school class could monitor the main road near your schools for NO₂ levels, analyse traffic flows and investigate how individual’s lifestyle choices impact on the environment.

AirWatch can supply monitoring equipment and chemicals, while your laboratory technician will need to prepare filter papers and reagents.

Supplementary activities involve assessing traffic flow on the road under study, and surveys to investigate car use in the community will be part of the project, as well as background research into air quality in Perth and NO₂ in particular. This project directly targets outcomes in Science and Society and Environment, with extension activities available for English; “Cars in our Culture”. Mathematics skills will also be utilised in the calculations to determine NO₂ concentrations in the monitoring, and the subsequent analysis of all schools data. So this project lends itself to a cross-curricular approach.

If you are interested in participating in the project, or would like more information please contact the AirWatch Schools Coordinator on (08) 6467 5168, or airwatch@dec.wa.gov.au .

Monitoring equipment is also available for loan outside of this project, if you would prefer to develop a monitoring project of your own during other times.