Table 2

Descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics (percentiles) of weather and pollution variables during the study period 25 Jan 2002 and 31 May 2005.


Comparison period (April & May 2002–2004)
 Outbreak period (April & May 2005)
 Total period



Daily
 N
 25th
 50th
 75th
 N
 25th
 50th
 75th
 N
 25th
 50th
 75th

PM10 CBMSa (ug/m3)b
 Min
 183
 3.2
 5.7
 9.3
 55
 4.3
 8.6
 13.3
 1183
 3.0
 6.5
 10.8
PM10 Earlwoodc (ug/m3)
 Min
 183
 4.0
 7.2
 11.7
 61
 6.8
 9.5
 12.5
 1191
 4.0
 7.7
 12.2
PM2.5 Earlwood (ug/m3)
 Mean
 183
 7.5
 10.0
 13.3
 61
 8.6
 10.6
 13.2
 1216
 7.6
 10.0
 13.4
NEPHd Earlwood
 Mean
 176
 0.2
 0.2
 0.4
 61
 0.2
 0.2
 0.3
 1209
 0.1
 0.2
 0.3
CO CBMS (ppm)e
 Mean
 181
 0.1
 0.3
 0.5
 59
 0.1
 0.2
 0.4
 1187
 0.1
 0.1
 0.3
NO2 CBMS (ug/m3)
 Mean
 183
 24.9
 32.1
 40.5
 57
 25.2
 33.6
 42.2
 1183
 17.5
 26.7
 37.8
NO2 Earlwood (pphm)f
 Mean
 182
 1.2
 1.5
 1.8
 61
 1.1
 1.5
 1.8
 1189
 0.8
 1.3
 1.7
NO CBMS (ug/m3)
 Mean
 183
 10.3
 24.5
 46.9
 57
 12.9
 27.0
 57.8
 1183
 3.4
 11.3
 29.8
Ozone Earlwood (pphm)
 Max
 177
 2.2
 2.6
 3.0
 61
 2.5
 2.7
 3.1
 1199
 2.3
 2.8
 3.3
Relative Humidity Airportg (%)
 Max
 183
 82.0
 90.0
 95.0
 61
 85.5
 89.0
 91.0
 1223
 78.5
 87.5
 93.0
Air Temperature
 Min
 183
 12.5
 14.3
 16.4
 61
 12.9
 15.0
 17.2
 1194
 11.2
 15.3
 18.6
Airport (°C)
 Max
 183
 19.1
 21.0
 23.0
 61
 20.0
 22.3
 24.4
 1223
 19.0
 22.1
 25.3
Solar Radiation CBMS (w/m2)
 Mean
 183
 108.6
 143.6
 166.8
 61
 110.6
 148.8
 166.6
 1223
 127.5
 174.8
 258.6
Precipitation Airport (mm)
 Max
 183
 0.0
 0.1
 5.2
 61
 0.0
 0.0
 0.4
 1223
 0.0
 0.0
 2.0
Station Pressure Airport (hPa)
 Mean
 183
 1015.4
 1020.0
 1023.6
 61
 1018.6
 1021.9
 1024.3
 1223
 1012.2
 1016.9
 1021.3
Wind Speed Airport (km/h)
 Mean
 183
 13.3
 15.9
 21.8
 61
 12.9
 16.7
 19.7
 1223
 15.0
 18.8
 23.7

a A community based monitoring station of the Road and Traffic Authority.

b ug/m3 = micrograms per cubic meter, i.e. mass of pollutant per volume of air.

c A monitoring station of the Environmental Protection Agency at Earlwood.

d Coefficient of light scattering by fine particles per 10 km.

e ppm = parts per million by volume, i.e. parts of million parts of air.

f pphm = parts per hundred million by volume, i.e. parts of pollutant per hundred million parts of air.

g A weather monitoring station at the Sydney Kingsford-Smith Airport.

Turner et al. Environmental Health 2007 6:37   doi:10.1186/1476-069X-6-37