New estimates by Melbourne Climate Futures researchers shows that health impacts from vehicle emissions are likely to be far higher than previous figures informing policy decisions.
Currently, Australian estimates do not factor in NO2 gas emissions, with the result that previous figures significantly underestimate the real health impacts and no current robust estimates of vehicle-emission impacts exist to guide policy makers.
Children and unborn babies are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution.
Those chronically exposed to traffic pollution are far more likely to have asthma, respiratory infections, and even stunted lung growth and organ damage.
These health effects are caused by a mix of pollutants including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – tiny solid particles that can be inhaled and even enter the bloodstream – and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
While every other country in the OECD has standards for the amount of pollution new vehicles can emit, Australia has some of the most polluting vehicles in the world.
Melbourne Climate Futures has released a position statement, which calls for urgent action as a result of these new figures, and has been endorsed by Asthma Australia, the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) and Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), as well as the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance (ACDPA), which includes the Lung Foundation, the Heart Foundation, the Cancer Council and Diabetes Australia.