It’s more than 16 months since the PurpleAir initiative was launched at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba.
It means the Greater Blue Mountains is now part of a global network of publicly available, real time, air quality data collection.
The program provides local air quality information, especially valuable to Blue Mountains residents when bushfire smoke is posing a health hazard.
By logging on to bluemountains.purpleair.com and searching by location, residents and visitors can access air quality data from Portland to Lapstone that updates every ten minutes.
Member for Blue Mountains, Trish Doyle, MP, said she wants to encourage more residents to use the website as a “quick way to check on air quality in the Mountains community”.
Some 30 PurpleAir sensors were provided by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water. The monitors cost about $415 each. The department also provides technical assistance and assesses the data.
The Blue Mountains Unions and Community [BMUC] - a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation - helped install the monitors outside 20 private homes, as well as at schools, the Lithgow Transformation Hub and at the Planetary Health Centre on the old Katoomba golf course site. Schools involved include Korowal School in Hazelbrook, St Columba’s College, Springwood and Kindlehill School in Wentworth Falls.
Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle said:
“This is a great community health service for both Blue Mountains residents and visitors to our region.
“Fortunately, the Blue Mountains has not experienced any serious bush fire events so far this season, but we have witnessed devastating fires in parts of Victoria as well as wildfires across Europe during their summer of 2025,” Ms Doyle said.
Ms Doyle recently visited the Faulconbridge home of Clair Smith to see the program in action. Ms Smith is, one of the citizen scientists to have signed up to collect data for the program – the monitor hooks into her wi-fi.
A former nurse Ms Smith took up the project a year ago because she believes in the impact of citizen science. When she is not helping out AirWatch with the data, she volunteers with Science4Wildlife.
“I’m just a citizen scientist, collecting data in my yard. I’m fully involved in anything that’s about helping others.
Blue Mountains Unions and Community AirWatch committee members, Ann-Maree McEwan and Peter Lammiman said they were grateful for their local state member’s support.
“Trish has supported this campaign for the NSW Government to provide air pollution sensors across the Blue Mountains for some time ... in 2017 she met with BMUC and Doctors for the Environment about the issue,” Ms McEwan said.
“Some of our installations relate to community concerns about potential pollution from mines or industry. One recent participant at South Bowenfels is concerned about the impact of a planned pumped hydro system at Lake Lyell,” she added
Mr Lammiman said “it’s a resource in the bushfire season and we want to see people use it. Bushfires seriously impact communities ...The effect of bushfire smoke on peoples’ health in the short, as well as long term, is now widely recognised.
The BMUC said the PurpleAir site will help residents find out about the pollution in their area.
“The air quality data can be used as a planning tool for outdoor activities, especially for those suffering from underlying chronic health conditions, pregnant women and children,” Mr Lammiman said.
“This gives the Mountains’ 78,000 residents, workers and three to five million annual visitors the power to make timely, informed decisions about their activities and health – as well as being a reliable source of data for the scientific community.
“It is now well established that tiny bushfire smoke particles (PM 2.5 microns in diameter) can penetrate deep into our lungs and exposure to these particles is reported to exacerbate asthma, cardiovascular disease, and cardiac arrests; with links to increased emergency department attendances and hospital admissions. (Source: enHealth.2020).
“We thank Clair Smith and all the citizen scientists for taking part in this project, as well as to Trish Doyle and staff for her government’s support,” he added.
MEDIA: Brenda Cunningham-Lewis | Trish Doyle MP (02) 4751 3298 bluemountains@parliament.nsw.gov.au
