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Air quality monitoring

Clean air is essential for our health and quality of life. People expect that the air they breathe will not harm them. Although air quality in the UK is generally good, unacceptable levels of pollution are known to exist in some areas. Salisbury District Council has a statutory duty under the 1995 Environment Act to review and assess air quality within the district.

The Environment Act 1995 places responsibilities on local authorities to measure and manage air quality. This Act, and the National Air Quality Strategy, has set health-based standards for the seven main pollutants in the UK. They also set specific dates by which those standards must be met.

The seven main pollutants are:

• Benzene (from petrol vehicles)
• 1,3-butadiene (road transport)
• Carbon monoxide (petrol vehicles and industry)
• Lead (petrol vehicles and industry)
• Nitrogen dioxide (road transport and power generation)
• Particles (road transport, power generation and industry)
• Sulphur dioxide (power generation and industry).

In April 2006 we completed a detailed assessment report on Air quality in Salisbury 7.1mb Detailed assessment for 2007.

This work resulted in the need to declare revised air quality management area which covers the whole city centre and two air quality management areas on London Road (A30) and Wilton Road (A36). These were made because of excessive levels of nitrogen dioxide in these areas.

We have now gone on to quantify the level of the problem in more even more detail in a further Local air quality management assessment (2007) 5.3mb which looks at the types of vehicle that cause the greatest problem and how much pollutant levels must be reduced by in order to comply with air quality objectives set down in law.

For the latest annual report download the Air Quality Progress Report 2008 2.4mb.

Air Quality trends at a glance

Below are links to graphs of nitrogen dioxide levels for the main areas we are keeping a watch on. The graphs represent the annual (12 month) average level of nitrogen dioxide. Nationally, it is proving the most difficult objective to meet. There is also short term limit (15 minute average), which Salisbury easily achieves.

• Air quality trend - Exeter Street 13kb Showing trend in nitrogen dioxide level over time
• Air quality trend - Brown Street 11kb Showing trend in nitrogen dioxide level over time
• Air quality trend - Fisherton Street 13kb Showing trend in nitrogen dioxide level over time
• Air quality trend - Milford Street 13kb Showing trend in nitrogen dioxide level over time
• Air quality trend - Wilton Street 11kb Showing trend in nitrogen dioxide level over time
• Air quality trend - Minster Street 13kb Showing trend in nitrogen dioxide level over time
• Air quality trend - London Road 13kb Showing trend in nitrogen dioxide level over time

Notice the peak on each of the graphs for 2003. This was a brilliant hot summer but nationally bad for pollution levels. Also notice the drop in levels on Wilton road. This was when Skewbridge was being rebuilt. There was a big drop in traffic and consequently a big drop in nitrogen dioxide.

How can you help reduce these levels and make our city a less polluted place to be? The answer is for traffic levels in the city centre to be reduced. Could you:

• cycle into town?
• take a bus?
• use park and ride?
• walk?

It is also important to try to avoid driving across the city centre if you do not need to come into town, as this adds to congestion and levels of pollution.