Air Quality
Contents
- Air Quality
- Air Quality reports and data
Air Quality
Reducing air pollution is vital to our health and environment. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), like all local authorities nationally, plays a key role in the work to deliver cleaner air for its communities.
The Council has a duty to monitor local air quality and take steps to improve it when it does not meet the national air quality objectives. The national air quality objectives are set by The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
WNC has developed an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) which outlines the steps it will take towards improving air quality and reducing air pollution across West Northants.
DEFRA at national government level also have a responsibility to deliver clean air.
The causes of poor air quality and how this affects you
Air quality refers to the level of pollutants in the air. Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. Long-term exposure to poor air quality can cause a variety of health problems and damage to the environment.
The main pollutants affecting our area are nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM2.5). You can find out more about how these pollutants affect our health on pages 16 and 18 of the DEFRA Clean Air Strategy.
Solid fuel burning and using gas appliances in the home increases short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM). PM is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. This could include dust, soot, smoke and other hazardous matter. Poor housing can increase our exposure to cold, damp and mould.
Road transport and farming are key sources of air pollutants. The combustion of fuels in power stations and refineries also creates air pollutants. Industrial emissions are regulated by the Environment Agency and the Council. Some pollution comes from naturally occurring sources such as pollen and sea spray and some is wind-blown to the UK from other European countries or international shipping.
Find more information on Particulate Matter.
Air quality can be affected by more frequent and extreme weather events. You can visit our Sustainable West Northants page for more information on our climate measures.
Increasing energy prices are causing more people to look for other fuels to heat their homes such as coal and wood. In 2022, domestic wood burning accounted for greater PM emissions nationally than road transport.
Deprived areas are often exposed to worse air quality. The risk of experiencing poorer health is likely to be higher due to inadequate lower cost housing, often near to roads with congested traffic and exposure to cold, damp and mould.
The young, elderly and people with lung or heart conditions are at increased risk of becoming ill and needing treatment when air pollution rises. For example, asthma may be exacerbated by high levels of air pollution.
How residents and the community can help
WNC and its partners are committed to improving air quality but we can’t do this alone. We all have a role to play and we actively encourage assistance from the community and visitors to help achieve this aim.
We can all take simple measures to help improve air quality:
- a great way to cut down on car journeys is to start travelling in your local area by walking, cycling or other wheeled transport
- build-in some physical activity to your daily routine, by planning your commute to include active travel
- if you are often doing a journey to a similar location, such as work or school, as someone else locally to you, it is worth considering car sharing
For more information on active travel options see Home | Northamptonshire County Council (smartmovenorthamptonshire.net)
We understand it is not always practical to stop using your car, especially if you live further away from amenities, have reduced mobility or are responsible for transporting family and friends.
If you can not let go of the car just yet, here are a few tips to help lower its impact:
- make sure to service it regularly
- consider switching to an electric or hybrid car to lower your emissions
- keep your tyres properly inflated
- turn off your car when stationary in traffic
- try to optimise your journey by doing multiple tasks
- use local shops and facilities to reduce the need to use your car
- buy from local businesses to reduce delivery miles
- using national on-line delivery services that have emissions reduced delivery services
- burning solid fuels, such as in open fires and wood-burning stoves have a significant impact on air pollution and in most cases are not the primary source of heating
- avoid burning leaves and rubbish in your garden instead you can try composting, using the subscription green waste bin service or using the household waste recycling centres to dispose of waste
For more information on how to burn more efficiently and use less polluting fuels please see the Burnright Working together for cleaner air in the UK website.
- use less congested or traffic free routes where possible if you are walking, cycling or scooting
- keep an eye on the national air quality alert system
You can use The Daily Air Quality Index to learn more about the levels of air pollution and the recommended actions and health advice to keep you safe.
Simple steps can make a difference to national air quality by reducing our energy usage and dependence on power stations. Examples are:
- Upgrading boilers to newest and most efficient gas condensing boilers with lowest emissions.
- Use renewable energy generation via solar photovoltaics (for example solar panels), air source heat pumps or wind turbine installation
- Improving energy efficiency at home and at work - draught proofing doors, windows and open wood floors
- Switch energy suppliers - consider switching energy suppliers to companies who use renewable energy sources
See our Sustainability at home pages for more information
The Daily Air Quality Index tells you about levels of air pollution and provides the recommended actions and health advice to stay safe.
West Northamptonshire Council actions
Monitoring air quality with diffusion tubes
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is the main source of air pollution in our area caused by road traffic. We keep track this through diffusion tube monitoring across West Northants.
Diffusion tubes are scientific devices that sample the concentration of one or more gases in the air, in this case nitrogen dioxide. They are normally used to determine an average over a year and are then compared to the air quality objective for nitrogen dioxide.
Find more information on the air quality objectives in the UK.
You can find the current locations of diffusion tubes on our mapping system. Click on the Map Features and Tools Menu on the top left, the Map Features tab, Environment tab and the tabs available to view will become visible.
The West Northants area meets the air quality objective for PM10, the larger particles. The national target for PM2.5, the smaller particles, is assessed by DEFRA, not the Council.
Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP)
We have developed an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) which outlines the steps we take now, and will undertake to improve air quality in specific areas and reduce air pollution in general.
We already regulate industrial emissions, as does the Environment Agency, through the environmental permitting regime.
The plan outlines the actions we will take to improve air quality in West Northants through our work including:
- improved infrastructure, such as Electric Vehicle charging stations
- supporting active travel with tools like the Smart Move Northamptonshire website,
- improvement of traffic flow through road improvements and traffic control systems to reduce congestion and emissions
You can view our Air Quality Action Plan below:
Last updated 14 November 2024