Why no City plan for PM2.5? (Jul 2019)

Newly formed campaign group Clean Air Nottingham says the City Council is not doing enough to tackle the problem of small particles.

The group used a monitoring device borrowed from Nottingham University to measure PM2.5 levels around the city. (PM2.5 are particles so small they can be breathed deep into the lungs. They are associated with heart disease, stroke and diabetes as well as asthma and lung cancer. They come from multiple sources including agriculture, industry and traffic.)

The group found levels of PM2.5 between 7 and 15 µg/m³ with high levels on some housing estates as well as main roads. The highest level was near the Queen's Medical Centre. Typically readings were above the World Health Organisation's recommended limit of 10 µg/m³ PM2.5 for annual mean.

But Nottingham has no target to meet the WHO guideline. And only one monitoring station (on Clinton Street East, off Parliament St).

Clean Air Nottingham is calling for:

• citywide monitoring of PM2.5;
• analysis of sources of Nottingham's PM2.5;
• a plan showing how PM2.5 levels can be lowered;
• a medical investigation of effects of PM2.5 on hospital admissions.

The report was covered in Air Quality News and Nottingham Post.