Air quality technology firm EarthSense has announced that its Zephyr® monitors have been rolled-out in locations across Sussex to create one of the largest networks of real-time air quality sensors in the UK for Brighton & Hove City Council.
Fifty EarthSense Zephyr® sensors have been placed in various locations across Sussex, including 40 in Brighton & Hove, and in the Horsham and Newhaven areas. They will measure pollutants hydrogen sulphide (H2S), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), greenhouse gas Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Nitric Oxide (NO), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) at enhanced sites, as well as providing ambient measurements for temperature, pressure and relative humidity. The data collected will be fed into the Brighton & Hove and Sussex Real-Time Air Quality Portal website that will provide residents with the opportunity to see real-time air quality readings 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
The data collected thus far has been fed into the Brighton & Hove and Sussex Real-Time Air Quality Portal website that will provide residents with the opportunity to see real-time air quality readings continuously. The launch of the publicly accessible portal saw the largest number of visitors to the site out of any Local Authority platform, this year.
The portal will give the general public free access to up-to-date information and raise awareness of the impact that vehicle and gas boiler emissions, and smoke from log burners and fireplaces, can have on air quality in the city. It is part of Brighton & Hove City Council’s wider strategy to improve air quality and tackle the burning of solid fuels across the city, its existing six Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and five
Smoke Control Areas (SCAs). The Sussex network aims to complement other air quality and net zero assessment methodologies such as regulatory standards, automatic monitors, diffusion tubes, emission inventories, and the detailed dispersion model for the city with local source apportionment output.
Solid fuel burning is a significant source of fine particulate pollution, known as PM2.5. It is a contributing factor to more than one in 20 deaths of people over 30 in Brighton & Hove and a huge problem for people with conditions like asthma.
Councillor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet member for Net Zero & Environmental Services at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “This new network of air quality monitors is a big step forward. It will enable us to build a much more detailed understanding of what kinds of pollution are happening where and at what times. This will be extremely useful as we begin to take action to address particulate pollution from wood-burners and open fireplaces, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.
“The impact on public health is too great to ignore, and there is a lot of work to be done, both locally and nationally, to raise awareness.”
Greg Lewis, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at EarthSense added: “Brighton & Hove City Council are really investing in a pioneering solution, based on our innovative Zephyr® sensors, that will effectively monitor the air quality landscape for local residents. With fine particulate pollution being such a significant factor in respiratory issues and even fatalities for local people, it is vital that they have the most accurate air quality data, enabling them to manage the situation going forward and focus on the health of their residents.”
Funded by a DEFRA air quality grant and the council’s Carbon Neutral Fund, the real-time sensors from EarthSense have been placed in a variety of locations to measure air quality in different environments. These include:
- Local parks and the South Downs National Park
- Hill slopes and valley bottoms for comparison
- Outer areas, suburban and centrally located schools with or without school street schemes or other active travel initiatives
- Roadside: local A roads, B roads, C roads and strategic trunk roads (A27 and A23)
- Brighton & Hove city centre
- Near Shoreham and Newhaven ports
- Construction sites and potential development areas
- An industrial site in West Sussex (Horsham)
- 12 Air Quality Management Areas (known as AQMAs), including six in Brighton & Hove and one in Newhaven.
- Tackling solid fuel pollution
