Air pollution would cause the deaths of at least 2500 people across Sydney and Melbourne in the year 2030 even if the federal government swiftly clamped down on poisonous car fuels, a government-commissioned report has found.

The alarming figures increase pressure on the Turnbull government to introduce cleaner fuel standards in Australia, despite claims by petroleum refiners that the viability of the industry would be threatened and motorists would pay more for fuel.

Greens senator Larissa Waters says the government is beholden to 'big fossil-fuel donors'. Credit:Bradley Kanaris

The government is considering changes to national fuel quality standards. These laws limit substances in fuel that, when expelled through a car's exhaust, can endanger human health and the environment.

An expert review commissioned by the Department of the Environment found that even under the cleanest fuel scenario, which includes a 15-fold reduction in the sulphur content of unleaded petrol from 2020, air pollution would still cause many thousands of deaths in Melbourne and Sydney over the subsequent decade.