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CSIRO (Australia) scientists have built a high-tech chamber to understand the chemistry of smog and help predict its existence and impact.

"There is a range of compounds that make up airborne pollution and, in Australia, emissions of some of these compounds remain unregulated," says CSIRO's Dennys Angove.

"We will use the smog chamber to investigate a range of synthetic atmospheres comprising naturally occurring hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons from human-produced sources.

"This will advance our knowledge of the different airborne compounds and how each reacts or changes in the atmosphere. It will also help us understand what happens to the compounds once they have broken down or reacted with the cocktail of chemicals that exist in our air.

"Ultimately, we hope to develop a model that will help regulatory authorities to predict when substances in the air could become harmful to individuals or groups in a specific area.

"It will also give atmospheric chemists a greater understanding of how these potentially toxic materials are transported and transformed in the atmosphere.

"There are other chambers being operated around the world, but the application of new analysis techniques in our chamber will push the science forward significantly."

Angove said that the CSIRO chamber has attracted significant international interest from the USA and Spain.

This new chamber will hopefully "raise awareness and understanding of just what we are dealing with on a daily basis," said Angove.

Air pollution occurs as gases and fine particulates or aerosols, the latter being small enough to enter deep into the lungs.

The nature and impact that air pollution may have depends on a host of factors. They include the pollutant source, reactions in the atmosphere, transport by winds, and removal by clouds, rain, plants and soil.

CSIRO Energy Technology has been studying air pollution for 20 years and has designed and previously used two smog chambers before planning their latest endeavor.

Contact: Dennys Angove, CSIRO, Energy Technology. Tel: +61 02 9490 8993; Fax: +61 2 6276 6273.

Edited by Paul Hersch
Managing Editor, Pollution Online