Gloucestershire's air quality

Air quality

Many local authorities have to monitor local air quality (using different devices that measures the level of common air pollutants)

Key pollutants measured by local authorities include:

• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) - most commonly measured
• Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
• Particulate Matter of different sizes (PM2.5, PM10)
• Ozone (O3)
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
• Nitrogen Dioxide is the most commonly measured, it is easy to monitor and is a good overall indicator of air quality, and has chemical links to other pollutants (for example, ozone)

NO2 can be emitted into the atmosphere from natural, biogenic and industrial sources.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are not considered to be hazardous to health at typical ambient conditions. However at elevated levels, can cause severe issues to human health (including respiratory issues).