Southampton City Centre - Daily Air Pollution

This air monitoring station is within a self-contained air-conditioned housing located at a junction
of a residential road and a six-lane dual carriageway between Northam and the city centre.
Traffic flow is approximately 25,000 vehicles per day and is subject to periodic congestion during peak traffic periods.
The manifold inlet is approximately 10 metres from the residential road kerbside and approximately 3 metres high.
The surrounding area is mainly urban and comprises urban residential premises.

SITE ADDRESS:
Brintons Road/Northam Road, Southampton, Hampshire
OS Grid Reference: SU426123

Realtime Air Quality Graphs for the Past 7 Days

 

Air Pollution Information Service

Index and Bands

In the UK most air pollution information services use the index and banding
system approved by the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollution Episodes.
The system uses 1-10 index divided into four bands to provide more detail
about air pollution levels in a simple way, similar to the sun index or pollen index.

    1-3 (Low) 4-6 (Moderate) 7-9 (High) 10 (Very High)

The overall air pollution index for a site or region is calculated from the highest concentration of five pollutants:

    Nitrogen Dioxide Sulphur Dioxide Ozone Carbon Monoxide Particles < 10µm (PM10)

Air Pollution Forecasts

Air Quality Forecasts are issued on a regional basis for three different area types:

    In towns and cities near busy roads Elsewhere in towns and cities In rural areas

Forecasts are based on the prediction of air pollution index for the worst-case of the five pollutants listed above, for each region.

Health Advice

Latest studies report that:

    When air pollution is LOW (1-3) effects are unlikely to be noticed even by those who are sensitive to air pollution. When air pollution is MODERATE (4-6) sensitive people may notice mild effects but these are unlikely to need action. When air pollution is HIGH (7-9) sensitive people may notice significant effects and may need to take action. When air pollution is VERY HIGH (10) effects on sensitive people, described for HIGH pollution, may worsen.

Air pollution can cause short-term health effects to sensitive individuals (people who suffer from heart disease or lung diseases, including asthma).
Effects on sensitive people can be reduced by spending less time outdoors. 'Reliever' inhalers should lessen effects on asthma sufferers.

More details on effects, including long-term, are available in a free leaflet:
'Air Pollution - what it means for your health'.

Air Pollution Bandings and the Impact on the health of People who are Sensitive to Air Pollution

Banding Index Health Descriptor
Low 1, 2, or 3 Effects are unlikely to be noticed even by individuals who know they are sensitive to air pollutants
Moderate 4, 5, or 6 Mild effects, unlikely to require action, may be noticed amongst sensitive individuals.
High 7, 8, or 9 Significant effects may be noticed by sensitive individuals and action to avoid or reduce these effects may be needed (e.g. reducing exposure by spending less time in polluted areas outdoors). Asthmatics will find that their 'reliever' inhaler is likely to reverse the effects on the lung.
Very High 10 The effects on sensitive individuals described for 'High' levels of pollution may worsen.

Boundaries Between Index Points for Each Pollutant

Band Index Ozone Nitrogen Dioxide Sulphur Dioxide Carbon Monoxide PM10 Particles
Running 8 hourly or hourly mean* hourly mean 15 minute mean Running 8 hourly mean Running 24 hour mean
µgm-3 ppb µgm-3 ppb µgm-3 ppb mgm-3 ppm µgm-3
(Grav. Equiv.)		 µgm-3
(Ref. Equiv.)
Low
  1 0-33 0-16 0-95 0-49 0-88 0-32 0-3.8 0.0-3.2 0-21 0-19
2 34-65 17-32 96-190 50-99 89-176 33-66 3.9-7.6 3.3-6.6 22-42 20-40
3 66-99 33-49 191-286 100-149 177-265 67-99 7.7-11.5 6.7-9.9 43-64 41-62
Moderate
  4 100-125 50-62 287-381 150-199 266-354 100-132 11.6-13.4 10.0-11.5 65-74 63-72
5 126-153 63-76 382-477 200-249 355-442 133-166 13.5-15.4 11.6-13.2 75-86 73-84
6 154-179 77-89 478-572 250-299 443-531 167-199 15.5-17.3 13.3-14.9 87-96 85-94
High
  7 180-239 90-119 573-635 300-332 532-708 200-266 17.4-19.2 15.0-16.5 97-107 95-105
8 240-299 120-149 636-700 333-366 709-886 267-332 19.3-21.2 16.6-18.2 108-118 106-116
9 300-359 150-179 701-763 367-399 887-1063 333-399 21.3-23.1 18.3-19.9 119-129 117-127
Very High
  10 360
or more		 180
or more		 764
or more		 400
or more		 1064
or more		 400
or more		 23.2
or more		 20
or more		 130
or more		 128
or more

* For ozone, the maximum of the 8 hourly and hourly mean is used to calculate the index value.

(Copyright 2012 - The UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)