Report of the Department of Health / New Zealand.

  • New Zealand. Department of Health.
Date:
[1963]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Department of Health / New Zealand. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/120 (page 19)
    is regarded overseas as a serious air pollutant, though comparatively rarely met in any quantity in urban atmospheres. In New Zealand it appears that for some time it may be the principal air pollutant as it occurs naturally in some areas in considerable quantity and is also liable to be produced in the disposal of organic wastes from our unusually large-scale, agriculturally based industries. Because of this, efforts are being made to develop satisfactory methods of measuring hydrogen sulphide for survey purposes. There were a number of inci¬ dents during 1962 attributable to geothermal gas, including three deaths in Rotorua, and this has emphasised the possible need for more effective control measures. A small committee to examine the problems involved has now been set up in Rotorua. The air pollution position in Auckland, except for some industrial odours and localised smoke and motor transport fumes, is for the time being reassuring. The improvement has made it possible to reduce the Auckland pollution survey programme substantially, and this is now regarded as being primarily a monitoring service to give warning of any significant change in pollution. The survey continues to be financed by the local authorities but is now staffed and operated entirely by the Health Department at the small air pollution laboratory established by that Department last year. This laboratory has proved most valuable in dealing with a wide range of problems including, for example, a survey of efficiency of trilene inhalers used in quite large numbers in midwifery. In the Auckland district considerable progress has also been made to control rendering odours from the three major meat works in the Westfield area. A notable air pollution control success has been the use of high-temperature filter bag dust arrestment on a cement kiln at Te Kuiti. This is believed to be the first application of this method to a production cement kiln outside the United States. The position in Christchurch is less satisfactory, the problems being much more difficult of an economic solution. Real progress must await the findings of the scientific survey, not expected to be completed for another 18 months. Surveys on a smaller scale are being conducted in Dunedin and the Lower Hutt Valley, the latter of particular interest in view of the pro¬ posed establishment of a fertiliser works. An important duty of the chemical inspectors is to examine proposals for major industrial development with respect to air pollution. Exercising this function, the Chief Chemical Inspector had discussions with the engineering consultants to the Marsden Point petroleum refinery in the course of a visit to The Hague and San Francisco in 1962. Standards for air pollution control were agreed upon at that time. The opportunity was also taken while overseas to spend four weeks with the British Alkali Inspectorate to see something of the control measures regarded as desirable for a number of other industries, includ¬ ing aluminium reduction, potentially likely to be established in this country. From these contacts with overseas air pollution control authorities it was apparent that in the application of technical methods and legisla¬ tion New Zealand compared quite well with many much more heavily industrialised countries. However, this should engender no complacency, for economic and social factors are operating here and overseas to create increasing air pollution problems.