Website is a breath of fresh air

 

A new website has been launched to help people monitor – and take steps to improve – air quality in Cheshire East.

The website has been developed in collaboration with Cheshire West and Chester Council with the support of their shared services ICT team.

Cheshire East Council is committed to improving air quality via its local air quality management programme to improve life opportunities and health for everyone in Cheshire East.

You can discover all sorts of facts about air pollution on the new web pages on the Council’s website at: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/environment_ and_ planning/environmental_health/ local_air_quality.aspx

Links on the home web page can provide in-depth information on:

● What is air pollution?

● What does air pollution mean for my health?

● What are air pollution levels like near me?

● What can I do about it? – including tips on more fuel-efficient driving, car sharing and using cycle routes.

Interactive maps show real-time data and past monitoring information in your local area. Another map shows all the industrial installations in Cheshire East regulated by Environmental Health.

There is also a new ‘Doing your bit?’ fuel consumption calculator to help work out how much pollution you personally are producing, health tips and access to past and present official reports on air quality and information about building development and air pollution restrictions.

The Council is developing an overall air quality strategy, which will aim to integrate the air quality management work with other areas of the Council at a strategic level, in particular the Local Transport Plan.

Councillor Rachel Bailey, Cabinet member with responsibility for safer and stronger communities, said: “This is an excellent and exciting online development, which allows people to get the most up-to-date information about their air quality.

“With the help of this website everyone can find out about simple steps they can take to help enhance the Cheshire East environment and improve the health and life opportunities for everybody.”

The Council monitors air pollution at over 130 sites across the borough.

Air pollution is any chemical, or other material in the air, which detracts from its quality. This could be smoke (which caused the smogs of the 1950s) soot particles, odours (from agriculture or takeaways), or chemicals such as sulphur dioxide (linked to acid rain) and nitrogen dioxide (linked to human health effects).

Many activities cause air pollution. Some natural events, such as volcanoes (such as the recent eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, in Iceland) or dust storms from deserts, cause air pollution.

However, there are a number of human activities which cause air pollution, including industry and agriculture, transport, domestic heating and garden bonfires.

By far the largest contributor to ground-based levels of air pollution is the combustion of fossil fuels. The biggest contributor to air pollution within Cheshire East is from road transport.

For more information visit the website: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/environment_and_planning/environmental_health/

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