Air Pollution Monitoring in Charnwood

Summary of the Latest Pollution Monitoring Results

We publish a bi-monthly summary of the latest pollution monitoring results along with a review of air quality data collected over the last few years. The most recent report can be seen here

Monitoring Equipment

We use a variety of different types of fixed and portable equipment to monitor pollution.

We have a fixed air quality monitoring station, based in Loughborough, which contains state of the art monitoring equipment to record levels of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and PM10 every 15 minutes. It has a small weather station with a thermometer, wind direction vane and wind speed meter that help us to interpret the information that the station collects. We periodically place all of our portable monitoring equipment alongside the station to compare the results and enable equipment calibration.

As part of the delivery of our Air Quality Action Plan we have also commissioned two real time nitrogen dioxide monitors which we have located in the centre of Loughborough and Syston. We will use these to track changes in air quality as the changes in transport infrastructure take place over the lifetime of the Local Transport Plan.

PM10 means particles with a size of 10 microns or less.

Diffusion Tubes

The most commonly used monitoring device are diffusion tubes. These are small tubes which can be located virtually anywhere and which provide an average pollution reading for the duration of time over which they are exposed (usually a month). The detail of information which they can provide is limited, so for example they will not show up any short term peaks in air pollution. However they are an invaluable part of our air quality network because they are reliable, very easy to locate near pollution sources and provide good evidence of long term trends. Different types of tube are used for nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and benzene. They cannot be used for PM10.

Osiris PM Monitors

We have invested in two pieces of portable equipment for monitoring PM10 and other respirable particles. The equipment is based on passing sampled air across a laser beam; the extent to which the beam is scattered determines the total particle content of the air. The equipment monitors in 'real-time' and so can give updated results every 15 minutes which is very useful for identifying short term air pollution peaks which can be investigated with the help of wind speed and direction readings. The main drawback of the monitor is that it needs a continuous electrical supply which limits the locations where it can be deployed.

Lerian Street Box

We acquired this monitor in order to measure sulphur dioxide levels close to a suspected source of pollution. The equipment absorbs the pollutant onto an electro chemical sensor which can provide pollution level readings every 15 minutes