Aotearoa New Zealand has a clean green image, which we often use to attract tourists from other countries. This image has long been disputed by those who say our rivers are among the most polluted, but it’s not just the rivers that may not be as clean as we thought; it’s possibly our air, too.  

As beautiful as our country is, we do have a long list of air pollutants. We’ve included some of the most common ones below.

Asbestos

Asbestos in its natural form is not an air pollutant. It’s a mineral fibre within rock and soil and causes no one any harm. However, in the early 1900s, it started to be used to create a wide variety of products because it had excellent insulating and fire-retardant properties.

It became a possible hazard as soon as it was added to things like building materials, packaging, friction products, and coatings. When any of those products were broken, small asbestos particles could be released into the air, which could then be breathed in by those nearby.

Breathing in the small fibres can cause inflammation that may lead to a variety of potentially fatal health conditions like mesothelioma. Asbestos is still present in many of our homes, so it remains a potential air pollutant.

If you have asbestos-containing building materials that are damaged or in need of removal during renovations, you can reduce the risk of it becoming an air pollutant by hiring asbestos removal experts to take care of removal and disposal for you.

 

Biological Pollutants

When you think of pollutants, you probably imagine things we humans have made that aren’t exactly good for our health. However, we also have many biological pollutants in NZ that come from living things.

Some of the most common biological pollutants are pollens, viruses from people and animals, mold, insect droppings, dander from pets, and even the irritating protein in rodent urine that becomes airborne when dried.

Biological pollutants can cause a wide range of allergic reactions in many people, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Symptoms of some of these pollutants can often be sneezing, coughing, fever, lethargy, shortness of breath, dizziness, and watery eyes.

 

Carbon Monoxide

From 2006 to 2014, 379 people in New Zealand died from carbon monoxide exposure, with 96% of those deaths from intentional exposure.

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless, and tasteless gas, which means you may not know you’re being affected by it until it’s too late. It’s produced by the combustion of fossil fuels and has many potential sources like un-flued fuel heaters, LPG-powered fridges without venting, and running vehicles in enclosed spaces.

Repeated low-level exposure can lead to headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, lethargy, sleep disturbances, mood changes, and concentration problems. The impact of this air pollutant can depend on the level and duration of exposure.

 

Formaldehyde

Unwrapping new furniture for the first time can be a joyous occasion. As soon as you pull it out of its box or take the plastic off, a smell wafts into the air that we often describe as that ‘new’ smell.

But is it the smell of ‘new’ or formaldehyde? Formaldehyde is a colourless gas that products with formaldehyde-based resins like plywood, paint, varnishes, and some cleaning products, release into the air.

Formaldehyde readings in a home can be at their highest after a renovation, and you may be exposed to it over several years.

 

Lead

Lead is an incredibly harmful environmental pollutant that can damage brains and nervous systems. It used to be included in paint, petrol, plumbing materials, and even old toys. Lead was removed from petrol in 1996 and is no longer used in house paint, automotive paint, and industrial paint.

Still, the risk of lead poisoning still remains. Adults may be exposed to lead through dust from activities like restoring old homes with lead paint. Children may also be impacted if they play in lead-contaminated soil or dust or put toys in their mouth that may have been painted with lead-based paint.

 

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

Nitrogen dioxide is a toxic gas commonly associated with combustion processes like unvented gas stoves, defective vented appliances, tobacco smoke, welding, and kerosene heaters.

This pollutant can affect your eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory tract. In severe cases of exposure, it may even cause pulmonary edema and chronic bronchitis.

 

Pesticides

Here in New Zealand, we use a wide range of pesticides due to our expansive agricultural industry. While most pesticides aren’t thought to impact our air quality, studies are underway to find out for sure. The Marlborough District Council had plans to trial an air monitoring programme to understand the localised impact of farm chemicals, such as spray drifts.

 

Blenheim already has its air quality monitored by the council, with pollutants identified from dust, salt, pollen, running vehicles, and heating.