Wiltshire Community Air Network installs first air quality sensor at local primary school

The sensor is the first of over 100 low-cost air quality sensors that Wiltshire Council is purchasing that will measure PM2.5 air pollution, small particles in the air that can increase the risk of health problems and be damaging to the environment. This is part of the council's Wiltshire Community Air Network project. The sensors will provide real time data which members of the public will be able to access online.

To ensure a wide range of places and communities are represented in the project, the council will be allocating a number of sensors to each of the 18 community areas of Wiltshire, based on the size of the population. In each area, the council will prioritise placing sensors at venues where there are higher numbers of people, such as at or near schools, medical facilities, and supported housing.

Graham Shore, Headteacher at Holy Trinity CE Academy, said We are very pleased to be the first school in Wiltshire to be hosting one of these air quality sensors. Our school is located on a busy road and close to a recycling centre which is why we want to find out more about emissions and pollution levels.

The children will be able to use the data from this sensor to find out more about the environment, but it will also be used in maths and science lessons.

The sensors need to be placed outdoors, plugged in to a mains power supply and connected to a stable internet connection. The sensors are easy to use, and volunteers will be supported to set up and maintain them. At the end of the one-year project, hosts can choose to keep the sensor for their own use or return it to the council for recycling.

Existing monitoring indicates that the air quality in Wiltshire is predominantly very good, with much of the county having clean, unpolluted air. However, there are a small number of locations where the combination of traffic, road layout and topography result in pollutants being trapped so that concentrations increase to unacceptable levels. Historically two pollutants have been of concern in Wiltshire: nitrogen dioxide and PM10. Recent years have shown significant improvements in the levels of these pollutants and the council are likely to be able to start revoking the air quality management orders made in 8 areas, as pollutant levels reach compliance with UK air quality standards. Recent focus has shifted to very fine particulates (PM2.5) as there is increasing evidence of the harms they can produce

PM2.5 is not currently part of the UK Government's Local Air Quality Management framework, so local authorities are not required to monitor and report PM2.5 levels. However, since 2016 the government has stated that it expects all local authorities to effectively use their powers to reduce PM2.5 emissions from the sources which are within their control.

The council will share more information soon on how people can get involved in the project.

In the meantime, for more information about the Wiltshire Community Air Network project, people should email CommunityAirNetwork@wiltshire.gov.uk