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Monitoring and controlling plant emissions
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In Victoria, emissions to air are regulated by the following State and Federal supervisory bodies:
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- Victorian Environment Protection Authority
- National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality
- State Environment Protection Policy for Air Quality Management
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Levels of Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) and ethyl chloroformate (‘X16’), both used in production of PVC, are the main concerns to air quality at AVC.
We carry out active and passive air monitoring at our Laverton plant. Each year, we measure, calculate and report on both point source emissions and fugitive emissions in our annual reports.
Australian Vinyls operates under a Victorian Environment Protection Authority licence. This licence means AV must comply with the strict limits set for acceptable atmospheric releases. Emissions are monitored continuously using an on-line, real-time monitoring system at licensed air discharge points.
The State Environment Protection Policy (The Air Environment) limit for VCM in atmosphere measured at the plant boundary is 33 parts per billion (ppb) on a time weighted average basis. Australian Vinyls adopts a standard for VCM readings of less than 10 ppb at the Laverton plant boundary. The plant generally operates at levels below this. Readings exceeding these limits are always reported to the EPA.
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