Lead level in air drops due to petrol content rules

Lead levels in Perth's air have almost halved since the State Government moved to restrict the lead content of super grade petrol.

Environment Minister Bob Pearce said recent monitoring had shown the amount of lead in Perth's atmosphere had fallen well below air quality goals established by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council's 90-day running mean of 1.5 micrograms per cubic metre.

The monitoring, undertaken by the Environmental Protection Authority, showed 0.83 micrograms of lead per cubic metre in the air in the central business district, compared with results for the same period in 1990 of 1.68 micrograms of lead per cubic metre and 1.34 micrograms of lead per cubic metre in 1991.

"This is a very pleasing result," Mr Pearce said.

"We had expected that atmospheric lead levels would drop with the introduction in 1986 of unleaded petrol.

"But in Perth, only about 30 per cent of cars use unleaded fuel.

"So, the problem of air pollution is one all of us must address - we must make extra efforts to try to limit the use of our cars, and wherever possible, utilize public transport," he said.

"However, the State Government has also introduced regulations to control the lead content of petrol supplied in Perth - and because of this, I expect lead levels to fall even further."

Mr Pearce said the regulation made it an offence to supply petrol with a lead content greater than 0.65 grams per litre.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, the regulation requires that on an annual average, petrol contain less than 0.60 grams of lead per litre.

"BP, which supplies more than 90 per cent of the leaded petrol in Western Australia, already meets this criteria," Mr Pearce said.

"From July 1991, BP reduced the lead levels in petrol it produced from 0.83 grams per litre to 0.65 grams per litre, with an annual average of 0.60 grams per litre.

"I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the company on its efforts and its future commitment to try to reduce lead levels in Perth air even further.

"It is currently working to lower the lead concentration to 0.40 grams per litre by January 1996 - a target set by the EPA that can only be achieved with considerable capital investment," Mr Pearce said.

The lead content of petrol sold in Australia varies from 0.30 grams per litre in Victoria; 0.40 grams per litre in ACT, New South Wales and Queensland; and 0.65 grams per litre in South Australia.