New UK air quality alerts service goes live – how to sign up for pollution warnings
Key Points
- A new GOV.UK service sends SMS and email alerts when local air pollution is forecast to be high.
- Users pick a specific area, such as a home, workplace or local park.
- The service tracks PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide.
- Angela Eagle and Chris Whitty both point to the health risks for people with asthma and heart conditions.
- The launch delivers a commitment made in the government's Environmental Improvement Plan.
People across the UK can now sign up for text or email alerts warning them when air pollution is forecast to be high in their area.
The new check air quality service lets people select a location — their home, workplace or a local park — and choose how they want to receive the alert. Alerts arrive by SMS or email when the forecast for that area reaches high pollution levels.
The service brings the government’s air quality information into a single place on GOV.UK, covering both forecasts and current readings.
It tracks five pollutants:
- Particulate Matter (PM2.5)
- Particulate Matter (PM10)
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
- Ozone (O3)
- Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Millions of people in the UK live with conditions that poor air quality makes worse, and treating lung conditions and asthma costs the NHS millions of pounds every year.
“We want everyone to have access to clear, reliable information about the air they breathe,” said Angela Eagle, Environment Secretary. “This new service will make it easier for people to understand air pollution in their local area and take practical steps to protect their health, particularly those living with conditions such as asthma.”
Eagle said better access to air quality information forms another part of the government’s work on air pollution and public health.
“Air pollution is an extremely important, solvable health problem that causes ill health throughout the life course, from poor pregnancy outcomes through childhood lung disease to causing long-term health conditions including cancers, heart disease and stroke,” said Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England.
“The health impacts are greatest for the most vulnerable — children, pregnant women and people with preexisting cardiovascular or lung conditions.”
People with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions face the greatest risk from short-term pollution episodes, and timely alerts let them adjust their activities and cut their exposure.
The launch delivers a commitment in the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan to improve public access to air pollution information.
The government is also reforming industrial permits and consulting on tighter emissions standards for new wood burning appliances.
