The 6 main Air Pollutants
NO2
Nitrogen Dioxide
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is formed from the burning of fossil fuels. The major sources of NO2 in the UK are through the burning of fossil fuels for transport, power generation and domestic heating.
PM
Particulate Matter
Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) are tiny particles found in the air. They are categorised into 2 groups, depending on their size. PM10 refers to particles up to 10 microns in size and PM2.5 are even smaller at 2.5 microns (almost 30 times smaller than the diameter of human hair).
Particulate matter can be produced from human activity through all types of transport, industry and solid fuel burning. They can also occur naturally as sand, sea salt, pollen and soot from wildfires. PM10 can stay in the air for hours, whereas PM2.5 can stay in the air for days or weeks. Even sand from the Sahara Desert can travel through the atmosphere all the way to the UK.
CO
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, which occurs when there is not enough oxygen for each carbon atom to combine with 2 oxygen atoms to make CO2. CO comes from burning fossil fuels, wood and coal and can affect transport of oxygen in the blood.
SO2
Sulphur Dioxide
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) from human activity comes from the burning and processing of materials containing sulphur, such as generating electricity from coal, shipping in busy coastal areas and industrial processes that require burning solid fuel.
O3
Ozone
Ozone (O3) occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere, protecting us from UV radiation from the sun. However, at ground level it can be harmful to health, triggering respiratory conditions and reducing lung function. Ozone is created by chemical reactions between emissions from industry, vehicle exhausts and chemical solvents in sunlight.
VOCs
Volatile Organic Compounds
VOCs are chemicals that easily become vapours or gases at room temperature. Many VOCs are emitted from a number of household products, such as paints, cleaning products, furniture, adhesives and varnishes. Concentrations of VOCs are usually much higher indoors than outdoors.
Sources of Air Pollution
Pollutants are emitted to the air from many sources and can be found in both urban and rural environments. Fossil fuels are behind the generation of most air pollutants, but there are many surprising sources, such as the furniture in your home.
Vehicles that burn fossil fuels (petrol and diesel) emit NO2 and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) as exhaust gasses. In cities and larger towns, where traffic and congestion are high, emissions are also high.
Power stations burn fossil fuels to produce electricity. This is one of the largest sources of air pollution in the UK. Fossil fuelled power stations emit CO2, PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and SO2.
Factories and the manufacturing industry emit large amounts of pollutants into the air from a range of industrial processes. Their emissions can include SO2, NO2, CO, PM10 and PM2.5.
Agriculture accounts for 11% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. The most significant sources of air pollution are NO2, N2O (nitrous oxide) and NH3 (ammonia) from the use of fertilisers, and methane emissions from the digestive processes of livestock, particularly cattle. Methane contributes to the formation of ground level ozone and particulate matter.
When waste in landfill begins to decompose, air pollutants such as NO2, SO2, PM10 and PM2.5 are released. Sometimes, waste is burned to generate energy, releasing pollutants such as CO2, N2O, NO2 and NH3. Harmful emissions are also released from the industrial processes used to recycle our waste.
All eight councils in Lincolnshire are working together to measure air quality and support local action to improve the negative health effects of air pollution.
Air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause chronic heart and lung conditions, leading to reduced life expectancy. It is estimated that man-made air pollution contributes to between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths in the UK each year.
DEFRA awarded Lincolnshire funding to provide an evidence-based air quality monitoring and awareness campaign. The aims are to encourage local involvement and provide clear assistance and advice to help reduce local concentrations of air pollutants throughout Lincolnshire.
The DEFRA funding has enabled Lincolnshire to install air quality monitors outside eight schools for one year. All this data is mapped on the Clean Air Lincolnshire homepage. Unfortunately, we do not have any additional monitors available to hire.
Clean Air Lincolnshire have installed Clarity air quality monitors at eight locations outside schools. They are recording data on particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels continuously. In collaboration with DEFRA air quality monitoring stations all the data is building a picture of air pollution levels across the county.
Clean Air Lincolnshire is a partnership between public health, sustainability, and environmental health departments at the eight local authorities in Lincolnshire.
Everyone can act! Look through the pages on this website for more information and ideas. But if we all think about how well we ventilate our living spaces and how we travel, all the small differences will add up to improve the health of ourselves and others.
The eight schools participating in Clean Air Lincolnshire will have first access to all the resources to help them understand their local air quality and to develop a behaviour change campaign to inform and influence the wider school community. The resources will be available on this website for other schools to make use of as their campaigns end.