Use lower case for the names of air pollutants:
nitrogen dioxide sulfur dioxide carbon monoxide lead
See Chemical formulas for more information on presenting names of chemical compounds.
Benzene, toluene and xylene are collectively known as BTX.
‘Particulate matter’ refers to particles of dust resulting from combustion and other processes, including vegetation burning, bushfires, windblown dust, road dust, motor vehicle exhaust, fuel burning and mining. Indicate the size of particulate matter by a superscript denoting the particle size in micrometres:
PM10 [coarse particulate matter; less than 10 micrometres in diameter]
PM2.5 [fine particulate matter; less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter]
Concentrations of air pollutants can be given in parts per million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb) or, preferably, micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3; for ppm) or nanograms per cubic metre (ng/m3; for ppb).
Use lower case for terms relating to air pollution, even if they have capitalised abbreviations:
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) air quality index (AQI) ambient air quality (AAQ) monitoring investigation level (MIL)
Use initial capitals for the names of Australia’s formal environmental protection measures:
National Environmental Protection Measure (Ambient Air Quality) [AAQ NEPM]
