Air pollution, contamination of the air by pollutants and gases (The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary, nd) is a problem that has an impact considerable impact on the health of New Zealand citizens and, in Christchurch, can account for up to 9.1% of all deaths (Palmer and Mann, 2011). Most prevalent in winter, when the mountainous terrain, calm winter weather, and layer of warm air allow emissions to be trapped in a blanket of cold air, trapping them at street level, creating a temperature inversion ; (University of Waikato, 2009), the recommended exposure to PM10, a pollutant with particles less than 10 microns in diameter (Department of the Environment, 2003) in Christchurch, is often exceeded (Palmer and Mann, 2011). Additionally, Palmer and Mann (2011) report that the majority of these particles come from human activities, such as wood stoves, which account for up to 80% of all PM10 particles released (Moller, 2011), burning traffic hydrocarbons and industrial activities. waste, which represents the rest. Of deaths in Christchurch linked to exposure to PM10 particles, an estimated 48% were caused by exposure to particles from wood burning, 31% from road traffic and 21% from other sources ( Palmer and Mann, 2011). .Those most likely to suffer mortality from exposure to particulate matter are infants, people over 65 years of age, school-aged children, and people with respiratory illnesses (Fisher et al. 2005; Christchurch City Health Profile, 2012), and generally those living in lower socio-economic areas (Christchurch City Health Profile, 2012). Despite overexposure to these harmful emissions decreasing each year, as shown in the Christchurch City Health Profile (2012), in 1998 there were 60 days in the year.... .. middle of document..... .ttp://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Enviro-imprints/Looking-Closer/Air-pollution-in-ChristchurchChristchurch City Health Profile (2012). Asthma. Christchurch Health and Wellbeing Profile Papers. Retrieved from http://www.healthychristchurch.org.nz/media/22930/asthma.pdfMinistry for the Environment (2012) National Environmental Air Standards: Airsheds Retrieved April 24, 2014 from http://www.mfe .govt. nz/laws/standards/airsheds/Environment Canterbury Regional Council (2012). Modeling the impact of five scenarios. Christchurch air quality: meeting NESAQ targets for PM10 Retrieved from http://ecan.govt.nz/publications/Reports/christchurch-air-quality-scenarios.pdf Ministry of the Environment (2007). State of the environment. Environment New Zealand, 2007 (Chapter 7). Retrieved from http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/enz07-dec07/chapter-7.pdf