Air - our role and goalsHorizons aim is to enhance air quality throughout the Region, reducing contaminants that can significantly harm people and the environment. Many people don’t realise that when outside riding a bike or walking, you breathe air that contains contaminants. According to a Government-funded study, these contaminants cause almost 1100 premature deaths in New Zealand each year and can exacerbate respiratory disease. The major pollutants in air are fine particles (10 microns in diameter and smaller) of carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulphur dioxide, and lead. These pollutants are discharged into air from a number of natural or manmade sources. Natural sources include wind blown dust and dirt; volcanoes; geothermal activity and biological degradation. Manmade sources include motor vehicle emissions; industrial emissions from spray painting, meat works, sewage treatment plants and quarrying; domestic fires and rural emissions such as burn off and chemical sprays.
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