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CAR head Guy Marks has been recognised for his significant contribution to science by being elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS). Fellowship recognises those who have demonstrated distinguished professional achievement in a field related to health and/or medicine; and who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their field.

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Congratulations Guy!

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Prof. Sotiris Vardoulakis from ANU and A/Prof. Camille Raynes-Greenow from University of Sydney have joined the CAR team to become affiliates. Congratulations and welcome!

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onference and Project support grant for 2020. The funding will be used towards the attendance of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) international congress in Austria.

Dinh will be presenting his research on the “Patterns of atopy, traffic related air pollution and allergic-respiratory outcomes in middle age”.

Congratulations Dinh!

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​CAR provided a submission to the NSW committee looking at the "Health impacts of exposure to poor levels of air quality resulting from bushfires and drought". We provided a comprehensive submission on the impacts of bushfire smoke on health, particularly on vulnerable populations.

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CAR's Dr Mahsan Sadeghi, Prof. Geoff Morgan and Prof. Bin Jalaludin have received funding for their project 'Impact of urban greening technologies on urban heat, climate adaptation and health'.

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CAR's Prof. Shyamali Dharmage has received the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Research Medal. This medal is awarded in acknowledgement of her outstanding contributions in research, education or the respiratory health sector as a whole.
Congratulations Shyamali!

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CAR lodged its submission to the independent bushfire inquiry in March. The independent expert inquiry was established to to provide input to NSW ahead of the 2020-21 bushfire season

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There was wide coverage of modelling involving CAR researchers which showed that smoke from the bushfires on the east coast of Australia likely led to thousands of hospitalisations and over 400 excess deaths. This is 10 times the official number of deaths from the bushfires themselves

This coverage included that from Scientific American, Nature and the Times, UK

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CAR provided a submission to the NSW committee looking at the "Health impacts of exposure to poor levels of air quality resulting from bushfires and drought". We provided a comprehensive submission on the impacts of bushfire smoke on health, particularly on vulnerable populations

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We welcome Sotiris as an affiliate of CAR. Sotiris is inaugural Professor of Global Environmental Health at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health of the ANU. He has a wealth of experience advising national and local governments and international organisations on the health effects of climate change and air pollution, and on environmental sustainability, health protection and risk communication.

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Hear from Dr Trenton Hoda from the University of Utah School of Medicine on a study looking at associations between residential greenness and urbanicity scores and disease biomarkers in older US adults

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CAR postdoc Tom Cole-Hunter has received a grant under the Advance Queensland Engaging Science Grants program to undertake a community engagement project called: "How's the air up there?": Queensland Communities Discussing Air Quality.
He will deploy several low-cost sensors and discuss the data with communities including schools in Brisbane and Townsville/Mackay.

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*March 23, Online*

In its first event for 2020, CAR will be bringing you a technical workshop discussing how to design and implement exposure assessments that are fit for purpose. Special guest speaker is Prof Lianne Sheppard from the University of Washington 

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Millions of Australians have been exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution from bushfire smoke. In this collection of the latest media interviews our investigators talk about the health impacts and what can be done to minimise this exposure

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Join us on 8 & 9 October, 2020 as we host a two-day workshop to discuss the latest evidence and policy implications around the health effects of smoke from bushfires and planned burns

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In response to the 2019-20 bushfire season in Australia, we compiled this evidence-based factsheet. It outlines what the health impacts are to bushfire smoke, which groups are most vulnerable, what we can do to minimise exposure and why climate change is needed now.

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Mahsan Sadeghi was awarded the postdoctoral training grant to attend a training course on understanding how to use the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. This is a next-generation mathematical weather prediction program which could be applied to climate change, mitigation, and adaptations. 

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Mahsan will use the model for her research into the “Health impacts and benefits of urban heat island mitigation technologies in Metropolitan Sydney.”

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"Human-caused climate change has resulted in more dangerous weather conditions for bushfires in recent decades for many regions of Australia" states this factsheet from the The Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub. A useful resource to understanding how climate change will affect future bushfire risk

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26-28 July 2020 Melbourne · Australia

Participants are welcomed to the 2020 Asia Pacific Forum for Environmental Health Assessment (APF-EHA 2020). This forum will bring together academic staff, researchers in universities, government representatives, health professionals, and students who are dedicated to the protection of human health from environmental pollution and climate change.

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On Tuesday 12 November 2019, as fire conditions continue to deteriorate in NSW, a catastrophic fire danger has been issued for greater Sydney, greater Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions. 

A/Prof Fay Johnston, chief investigator of CAR, leads a team working on the AirRater project.  AirRater is a computer based application that provides public health support by monitoring air pollution levels. AirRater has recently been made available in Port Macquarie area. By using AirRater, it can allow the public to be better prepared and know when to take action to protect their health from the effects of the smoke.

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CAR provides a submission on the proposed variation to the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure (AAQ NEPM) standards for ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

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A new study has shed light on the best way to study the immediate physiological effects of air pollution.

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A/Prof Fay Johnston, chief investigator of CAR, leads a team working on the AirRater project.  AirRater is a computer based application that provides public health support by monitoring air pollution levels. AirRater has recently been made available in Port Macquarie area. 

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Officials in India's capital, New Delhi, have declared a public health emergency due to the severe air pollution. Read about Prof Guy Marks' comments in the opinion piece below

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Congratulations to Prof Guy Marks on being the new President-Elect of The International Union Against Tuberculosis, taking over from the current President at this year’s Union World Conference in Hyderabad.

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A new paper from the Hazelwood Health Study has explored the long-term impacts of the Hazelwood coal mine fire on markers of lung function in young children.  

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The Sri Lankan National Science Foundation has awarded CAR researchers a $50,000 grant to investigate air pollution in Sri Lanka.

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A CAR research project that is piloting low-cost sensors to monitor local air quality in Pacific Island countries is collaborating with the University of Oxford and UNSW to monitor regional sources of airborne particulates.

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The Clean Air Society of Australia and NZ has awarded A/Prof Fay Johnston the Air Quality Champion 2019 Award for Excellence and innovation for her work on smoke pollution and developing the AirRater app.

Dr Andrea Hinwood was also honoured by CASANZ as joint recipient of the Air Quality Medal

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Congratulations to both Fay and Andrea!

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Fay Johnston from CAR and the University of Tasmania has been awarded the 2019 Tony McMichael Ecology & Environment Award. She has been recognised for her work on air pollution and climate change.

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Two topics will be discussed: (1) Prescribed burns - how do they impact air quality. The timing of prescribed burns and key meteorological factors will be discussed; and (2) The use of high-resolution climate modelling to identify how future changes in atmospheric instability and dryness increase the potential for extreme wildfires.

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Scientists address uncertainty not only in how they perform analyses, but also in how they write about their results. This seminar discusses the many ways in which scientists describe how uncertainty affects interpretation of their conclusions, and how this makes inconclusive results publishable. In addition to an analysis of abstracts in the water sector, a controversy in air pollution is used as an example to spark debate and encourage critique and improvement of current practice.

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Join Asst. Prof John Gallagher from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, CASANZ and CAR for this special seminar on air pollution mitigation using passive techniques in the built environment.

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Prof Melissa Hart will discuss a citizen science project that is placing meteorology and air quality sensors in schools across Sydney. Students collect and analyse research quality data in curriculum-aligned classroom activities. Data are also available online to the public and researchers.

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CAR provides a submission on the proposed variation to the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure (AAQ NEPM) standards for ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

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More than 85 people attended CAR’s symposium in Sydney on 31 May, which focused on the air quality and health challenges of changing urban landscapes and how to engage the public in these issues.

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A CAR research project that is piloting low-cost sensors (‘KOALAs’) to monitor local air quality in Pacific Island countries is collaborating with the University of Oxford and UNSW to monitor regional sources of airborne particulates.

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The Sri Lankan National Science Foundation has awarded CAR researchers a $50,000 grant to investigate air pollution in Sri Lanka.

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In CAR's next webinar on 29 July, Professor Benjamin Eggleton (pictured) and Dr Tomonori Hu from the University of Sydney will present success stories from the NSW Smart Sensing Network, focusing on the use of custom optical air quality sensors to monitor particulate matter.

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A new study has shed light on the best way to study the immediate physiological effects of air pollution.

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CAR researchers have held a stakeholders’ meeting in the Solomon Islands to officially start a project looking to understand and remove cultural barriers to moving to clean energy practices in the region.

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A new CAR study has found that even the low levels of air pollution in Sydney are associated with increased risk of premature mortality, providing further evidence that there is no safe level of air pollution.

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In this free webinar on 1 May 2019, Professor Graeme Zosky will present an overview of the mechanisms underlying the health effects of exposure to air pollution with a focus on particulate matter. 

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Waste-to-Energy processes have potential benefits for waste disposal and energy generation, but there may also be downsides in terms of pollution emissions.

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CAR has awarded three pitch development projects, which will focus on evaluating the health impacts in the new area of energy transition research. 

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Registrations are now open for the 2019 CAR symposium, to be held at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Glebe on Friday 31 May 2019. 

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CAR Chief investigator Associate Professor Yuming Guo has been honoured among 23 of Australia’s most outstanding researchers who have received a National Health and Medical Research Council Research Excellence Award.

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CAR Chief Investigator Associate Professor Fay Johnston has been recognised at a timely gathering of women fire researchers during the Tasmanian bushfire crisis.

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Canberra will host the next CAR roadshow, where stakeholders can have their say on CAR's research priorities. The meeting, which will be held at ACT Health on Tuesday 26 February (2-5pm), follows similar meetings in five capital cities last year. The afternoon workshop will feature CAR Investigators, including Principal Investigator Professor Guy Marks. The workshop is free but registration is required. 

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Applications are now open for a Postdoctoral Fellowship with CAR to study the impact of air pollution and new forms of energy on our health. The Fellowship may suit candidates from a variety of backgrounds, including medicine, science, public health and epidemiology, occupational and environmental health and computer science. Applications close on 22 February 2019. 

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CAR's Principal Investigator Professor Guy Marks looks at the highlights of 2018, including our progress in integrating and translating research and  developing the careers of many early and mid-career researchers. 

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CAR has developed an online platform for analysing and sharing pollution data using the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network’s (TERN) CoESRA Virtual Desktop ­­­– a cloud-based computational environment for big data analyses and data sharing.

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CAR investigators visited Suva recently for the official start of a project investigating the impact of air pollution on the health of young children in Fiji and how to minimise that impact.

November 16, 2018

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, at concentrations well below the current standards, is linked to hospitalisation for asthma, new CAR research has found.

October 29, 2018

Analysis of the links between the Hazelwood coal mine fire in 2014 and health outcomes has found a weak link between smoke exposure and small increases in lung stiffness in children who were aged up to two at the time. These are some of the first findings focusing on children’s lung and blood vessel health.

October 16, 2018

The association between air quality and heart and lung diseases is well known, but new CAR research has shown links with low blood glucose levels and therefore diabetes. 

October 2, 2018

Our latest paper describes a new method in which the concentration of particulate matter at the 2.5 micrometer scale (PM2.5) is mapped across large regions of Australia. The method integrates data from two sources: satellites and how land is used (called Land Use Regression)

September 11, 2018

CAR is moving into a new research area and would like to fund 2-3 projects in the area of energy transitions and health. Expressions of Interest are now open and close 31 September

September 11, 2018

Heard about Biomarkers but not sure what they are? Want to know how they can be used in air pollution research? CAR is running a Biomarker Workshop aimed at researchers, clinicians and environmental officers. 

August 25, 2018

CAR researchers found that air pollution particles smaller than 1 micrometre (PM1) are associated with an increased risk of children and teenagers getting asthma and asthma-related symptoms. And, surprisingly that this risk is similar for air pollution particles equal to or smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5).

August 25, 2018

Using low cost air pollution sensors, CAR researchers studied the personal exposure of 14 Australians during a week. Surprisingly, they were able to show that time spent at home and engaged in indoor activities was associated with the highest  exposure to air pollution at the 2.5 micrometer level (PM2.5)

August 28, 2015

CAR researchers studied 400 children in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS) and found that for those living in areas with high traffic-related air pollution, taking fish oil protected them from allergies and poor lung function

August 24, 2018

Our latest factsheet, in collaboration with the National Asthma Council, looks at the link between the use of gas stoves and childhood asthma. The information for this was based on our research findings showing that 12% of childhood asthma is attributed to the use of gas stoves for cooking.

August 20, 2018

CAR's Christine Cowie talks to ABC's Nightlife and writes on The Conversation on the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) coming from gas heaters.

August 20, 2018

Looking at data from the Australian Child Health and Air Pollution Study, we found that even though air pollution levels in Australia are very low by international standards there is still an association between air pollution, childhood asthma and poor lung function. This suggests that we should aim to continuously minimise air pollution levels rather than stick to set air quality standards.

August 16, 2018

'The Wire' interviewed CAR's lead Guy Marks on the relevance of the Sh*t! I Smoke app from Berkeley Earth. This app represents your city's air pollution as how many cigarettes a day you would be smoking.

August 15, 2018

Living in a mouldy house? Worried about the health effects? Read our take on it from our Chief Investigator Guy Marks in yesterday's ABC article.

July 25, 2018

Interested in alternative energies, interested in health impacts? Why not combine both into a PhD? We are looking for top candidates for a new and innovative, industry-led PhD at UNSW for 2019. You will work with NSW Ministry of Health, CSIRO, UNSW and CAR to look at the health impacts of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier for vehicle fuel.

June 6, 2018

​CAR has awarded a variety of scholarships and grants to researchers around Australia. 

May 24, 2018

​Media outlets have sought CAR's expertise in response to Sydney's smoky conditions caused by hazard reduction burns in the past few weeks. The paper in question looked at hazard reduction burns and bushfires in Sydney between 2001 and 2013. It found that these were associated with 197 premature deaths, 436 cardiovascular hospitalisations, and 787 respiratory hospitalisations.

May 24, 2018

In September 2017, CAR ran a technical workshop on the theme of exposure assessment in air quality with a focus on data/model blending approaches for air quality/health modelling studies.

May 25, 2018

Using a study looking at mortality associated with eight major PM2.5 sources in the Greater Metropolitan Region of Sydney, Dr Broome will discuss methods to translate epidemiological evidence into local information that is relevant to policy makers.

April 16, 2018

Researchers have found that smoke from hazard reduction burns and bushfires in Sydney between 2001-2013 was associated with 197 premature deaths, 436 cardiovascular hospitalisations, and 787 respiratory hospitalisations. Timely given Sydney’s current smoky conditions….

April 16, 2018

We have published a paper which identifies household dampness and the use of gas cooking stoves as important triggers to childhood asthma. The study calls for a national strategy for improving awareness around these two common indoor exposures.

April 10, 2018

If you’re interested in how the Hazelwood coal fire in 2014 affected residents, you may like to read the findings from some CAR researchers. They showed that increases in pollution at the 2.5 micrometer level led to increases in GP visits and prescriptions for cardiovascular, respiratory and mental health conditions.

April 6, 2018

​​Can smartphone apps help people with hay fever and other lung conditions? Read about how the AirRater app allows you to upload your symptoms and avoid exposure to environmental conditions such as pollen, air pollution and temperature that make your symptoms worse.

March 31, 2018

Read about how dust samples from roof cavities can be used to understand the effects of air pollution on our health. Our latest publication found that metal traces in particulate matter found in roof cavities elicited inflammatory responses in human cells grown in the lab.  

March 23, 2018

Join us to officially launch CAR in Melbourne on 23 March. Stay on to hear from eminent speakers on energy transitions and participate in a Q&A session discussing what needs to be done next in understanding the effects of energy transitions on our health. Places are limited so get in quick!

February 3, 2018

CAR researchers undertook a literature review of the links between otitis media (a type of ear infection) in children and air pollution. They found that there is evidence that higher air pollution exposure is associated with a greater prevalence of otitis media. However, they also found that evidence that links otitis media and specific pollutants was less clear.

January 3, 2018

Our latest research looking at over 1.3 million pregnancies in China found that pregnant women exposed to high levels of pollution at the 1 micrometer level (PM1) had an increased risk of a preterm birth. Specifically, where PM1 concentration was increased by 10 micrograms per cubic meter, there was a 9% increased risk of premature birth.

March 22, 2018

Join us and Australia's Chief Scientist Alan to officially launch CAR in Melbourne. The launch will be followed by a workshop on the links between energy transitions and health. Highlights include presentations by Michelle Bell, professor of Environmental Health in Yale University and Michael Brear, Director of the Melbourne Institute of Energy.

December 13, 2017

​Led by Dr Bijan Yeganeh, we published a study describing how a cutting-edge AI based method called ‘adaptive neuro-fuzzy interference’ can be used to combine many data from satellites, traffic congestion, meteorology and geography into one estimate of NO2 concentration.

October 31, 2017

We have just published a paper showing that people exposed to air pollution levels far below the national standard have increased asthma and reduced lung function. Read about our work led by Dr Bowatte and published in the European Respiratory Journal.