Under environmental legislation the council is required to review the air quality of Gateshead, looking at seven air pollutants that are addressed in the Government's National Air Quality Strategy.
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Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
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Fine Particles (PM10)
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Carbon Monoxide (CO)
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Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
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Benzene
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1,3 Butadiene
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Lead
The levels of pollutants must be assessed to determine whether they exceed the standards for which an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) would need to be declared. ) would need to be declared.
The council carried out two reviews and assessments in 2003 and 2006, which showed that for six of the pollutants Gateshead is well within the air quality standards.
However, the annual mean air quality standard for NO2 was exceeded because of traffic pollution. This resulted in the Council declaring Gateshead town centre an AQMA in April 2005 (This was extended in 2008 to include more of the A167 flyover and some of Durham Road).
The Updating and Screening Assessment report 2006 identified that the annual mean air quality standard for NO2 was also being exceeded in Portobello. This was again due to traffic pollution. A further Detailed Assessment was carried out to confirm these figures and an AQMA was declared in 2008.
The council has produced an action plan| to address air quality in the town centre, on which the residents within the AQMA were consulted. The action plan describes the processes that are in place and sets out the measures that are being considered to deliver improvements in air quality. The Council continues to monitor NO2 in other parts of the borough to ascertain whether further AQMAs need to be declared.
The Council regularly carries out reviews and assessments of the air quality in Gateshead. Annual progress reports, and more detailed assessments of NO2, are submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). All documents are posted on the website.
The council operates an extensive air quality monitoring network using diffusion tubes for NO2, and real time monitoring equipment for NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 in locations where there is a risk of the air quality standards being exceeded and there is relevant exposure in the form of housing, schools or hospitals.
The data from monitoring results can be found in all of the above mentioned reports, and you can view real time monitoring data from Gateshead at data
http://www.air-quality.net/|