For further business related information, please contact:
Environmental Health
Tel: 01276 707330
Email: Environmental Health
Surrey Heath House,
Knoll Road,
Camberley,
Surrey GU15 3HD
| Air Pollution Banding | Value | Accompanying health messages for at-risk groups and the general population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| At-risk individuals* | General population | ||
| Low | 1-3 | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. |
| Moderate | 4-6 | Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, who experience symptoms, should consider reducing strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors. | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. |
| High | 7-9 | Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, should reduce strenuous physical exertion, particularly outdoors, and particularly if they experience symptoms. People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often. Older people should also reduce physical exertion. | Anyone experiencing discomfort such as sore eyes, cough or sore throat should consider reducing activity, particularly outdoors. |
| Very High | 10 | Adults and children with lung problems, adults with heart problems, and older people, should avoid strenuous physical activity. People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often. | Reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as cough or sore throat. |
The table below shows the boundaries between each index points for common pollutants measured. For more further details about this information, please visit the standards information on the on the Defra UK-AIR website (opens in new window).
| Band | Index | Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | Ozone (O3) | PM10 Particulate matter (PM10) | PM2.5 Particulate matter (PM25) | Sulphur dioxide (SO2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly mean | 8 hourly or hourly mean | Running 24 hour mean | 15 minute mean | |||
| µg/m3 | µg/m3 | µg/m3 (TEOM FDMS) | µg/m3 | µg/m3 | ||
| Low | 1 | 0 - 66 | 0 - 33 | 0 - 16 | 0 - 11 | 0 - 88 |
| Low | 2 | 67 - 133 | 34 - 65 | 17 - 33 | 12 - 23 | 89 - 176 |
| Low | 3 | 134 - 199 | 66 - 99 | 34 - 49 | 24 - 34 | 177 - 265 |
| Moderate | 4 | 200 - 267 | 100 - 120 | 50 - 58 | 35 - 41 | 266 - 354 |
| Moderate | 5 | 268 - 334 | 121 - 140 | 59 - 66 | 42 - 46 | 355 - 442 |
| Moderate | 6 | 335 - 399 | 141 - 159 | 67 - 74 | 47 - 52 | 443 - 531 |
| High | 7 | 400 - 467 | 160 - 187 | 75 - 83 | 53 - 58 | 532 - 708 |
| High | 8 | 468 - 534 | 188 - 213 | 84 - 91 | 59 - 64 | 709 - 886 |
| High | 9 | 535 - 599 | 214 - 239 | 92 - 99 | 65 - 69 | 887 - 1063 |
| Very High | 10 | 600 or higher | 240 or higher | 100 or higher | 70 or higher | 1064 or higher |
The table below shows the typical types of environmental that air pollution monitoring stations are located. A brief description for each one is provided.
| Location Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Rural | An open countryside location, in an area of low population density distanced as far as possible from roads, populated and industrial areas. |
| Kerbside | A site sampling within 1m of the kerb of a busy road. |
| Remote | A site in open country, located in an isolated rural area, experiencing regional background pollutant concentrations for much of the time. |
| Roadside | A site sampling between 1m of the kerbside of a busy road and the back of the pavement. Typically this will be within 5m of the road, but could be up to 15m. |
| Suburban | A location type situated in a residential area on the outskirts of a town or city. |
| Urban Background | An urban location distanced from sources and therefore broadly representative of city-wide background conditions e.g. urban residential areas. |
| Urban Centre | An urban location representative of typical population exposure in towns or city centres e.g. pedestrian precincts and shopping areas. |
| Urban Industrial | An area where industrial sources make an important contribution to the total pollution burden. Intermediate. 20-30m from the kerb of a busy road. |
| Intermediate | 20-30m from the kerb of a busy road |
| Airport | Monitoring within the boundary of an airport perimeter. |
| Other | Any special source-orientated or location category covering monitoring undertaken in relation to specific emission sources such as power stations, car parks or tunnels. |