{"id":40088,"date":"2017-11-28T15:48:52","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T15:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=40088"},"modified":"2017-11-28T17:01:40","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T17:01:40","slug":"mapping-cardiffs-air-quality-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/no-logo\/mapping-cardiffs-air-quality-problem","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Cardiff’s air quality problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cardiff’s air quality has been ranked among the worst ten cities in the UK by the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n

The report found Cardiff\u2019s air had a higher concentration of sooty particles smaller than 2.5 microns (PM 2.5) than was considered healthy by WHO guidelines.<\/p>\n

PM 2.5 has been linked with heart disease and lung inflammation, with their small size meaning that they are more likely to be inhaled and penetrate deeper into a person\u2019s respiratory system. It is estimated that 143 deaths each year in Cardiff are the result of particulates.<\/p>\n

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Whilst Cardiff\u2019s particulate concentrations have improved over the last decade, they are still among the worst in the country – 10 \u00b5g\/m3 is considered the ‘safe’ threshold by WHO.<\/p><\/div>\n

The city similarly has issues with nitrogen dioxide (NO2<\/sub>). NO2 <\/sub>is derived primarily from car fumes and can lower the body\u2019s immunity to diseases like flu, whilst also causing acute respiratory diseases in children.<\/p>\n

Due to the high levels of traffic in Cardiff, there are several areas which routinely suffer from a dangerous build-up of NO2, <\/sub>defined by a concentration greater than 40 \u00b5g\/m3<\/sup>. Cardiff Council has designated these zones as AQMAs (Air Quality Management Areas) and has been focusing on improving these pockets of poor air quality, with limited success. It is apparent that a more holistic approach is required.<\/p>\n

View the interactive map of Cardiff’s NO2\u00a0<\/sub>concentrations below:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Red = high pollution (>40 \u00b5g\/m3<\/sup>), orange = medium-high (35-40 \u00b5g\/m3<\/sup>), yellow = medium-low (30-35 \u00b5g\/m3<\/sup>) and green is effectively safe (<30 \u00b5g\/m3<\/sup>). The Council\u2019s AQMAs are circled in red. Data provided courtesy of\u00a0Air Quality in Wales<\/em><\/p>\n