Air pollution monitoring results

We have a large number of air quality monitors around the city.

Some of these monitors take continuous readings to measure nitrogen dioxide and the fine particles PM₁₀ and PM_2.5.

Other monitors are diffusion tubes, which are less accurate but are useful for showing trends in air quality.

Monitored substances

PM₁₀ and PM_2.5

Particles are measured in a number of different size fractions according to their mean aerodynamic diameter.

Most monitoring is currently focussed on PM₁₀, but the finer fractions such as PM_2.5 and PM₁ are becoming of increasing interest in terms of health effects.

Fine particles, including PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, are composed of a wide range of materials arising from a variety of sources including:

combustion sources (mainly road traffic)
secondary particles, mainly sulphate and nitrate formed by chemical reactions in the atmosphere, and often transported from far across Europe
coarse particles, suspended soils and dusts, seasalt, biological particles and particles from construction work

Fine particles can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung diseases. In addition, they may carry surface-absorbed carcinogenic compounds into the lungs.

Nitrogen dioxide

Nitrogen dioxide is mainly derived from road transport emissions and other combustion processes such as the electricity supply industry.

It can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections such as influenza.

Continued or frequent exposure to concentrations that are typically much higher than those normally found in the ambient air may cause increased incidence of acute respiratory illness in children.

PM10

These data have been taken from continuous monitors and fully ratified by Netcen.

A correction factor of 1.3 has been applied to convert to a gravimetric equivalent.

2008 PM10 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	20	5	98.3
Montague Road	20	6	98.2
Newmarket Road	27	5	17.3
Parker Street	28	9	98.8

2007 PM10 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	20	4	98.6
Montague Road	20	0	97.7
Newmarket Road	23	5	92.5
Parker Street	29	8	98.8

2006 PM10 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	23	4	98.1
Newmarket Road	22	4	96.5
Parker Street	35	28	96.7

2005 PM10 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	22	0	85.7
Newmarket Road	23	4	99.4
Parker Street	33	20	92.7
Silver Street	23	3	97.6

2004 PM10 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	21	3	99.1
Newmarket Road	21	0	91.2
Parker Street	31	15	97
Silver Street	22	4	96.4

2003 PM10 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	23	10	96.7
Newmarket Road	27	13	82.5
Parker Street	34	32	98.6
Silver Street	29	26	91.8

2002 PM10 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	22	4	95.2
Newmarket Road	23	1	57.5
Parker Street	33	26	97.5
Silver Street	27	12	99.7

PM_2.5

These data have been taken from continuous monitors and fully ratified by Netcen.

PM_2.5 data do not require a correction.

2008 PM2.5 figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Newmarket Road	14	n/a	n/a	82.6

Nitrogen dioxide

2008 nitrogen dioxide figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	42	1	0	97.8
Montague Road	29	0	1	95.6
Newmarket Road	34	0	0	92.5
Parker Street	49	1	0	98.3
Regent Street	44	1	0	99

2007 nitrogen dioxide figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	41	1	0	94.2
Montague Road	28	0	0	99.3
Newmarket Road	33	0	0	93.9
Parker Street	54	1	0	96.8
Regent Street	42	1	1	90

2006 nitrogen dioxide figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	52	1	9	79.9
Newmarket Road	31	1	3	98.1
Parker Street	60	1	1	88.3
Regent Street	45	1	1	90

2005 nitrogen dioxide figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	48	1	9	95.3
Newmarket Road	30	0	0	99.1
Parker Street	52	1	0	83
Regent Street	43	1	0	98.1
Silver Street	34	0	0	94.3

2004 nitrogen dioxide figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	33	0	82.4
Newmarket Road	32	0	63.8
Parker Street	49	1	91.4
Regent Street	42	1	96.5
Silver Street	34	0	83.3

2003 nitrogen dioxide figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	39	0	0	95
Newmarket Road	56	1	0	32.7
Parker Street	53	1	13	87.9
Regent Street	47	1	0	89.3
Silver Street	48	1	13	96.4

2002 nitrogen dioxide figures

Monitor	Annual average (mcg/m³)	Exceedences (annual mean)	Exceedences (hourly mean)	Data capture (%)
Gonville Place	37	0	0	78
Newmarket Road	36	0	0	47.4
Parker Street	46	1	0	97.5
Regent Street	43	1	0	94
Silver Street	56	1	8	18

Nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube data

Diffusion tubes are an indicative sampling technique: they absorb the pollutant to be measured (nitrogen dioxide in this case) directly from the surrounding air.

They are not as accurate as continuous monitors and the results need to be adjusted. The data is useful for showing trends over time.

Tubes are changed every month and the monthly readings averaged to provide an annual average for nitrogen dioxide.

Data gathered using the diffusion tube technique is +/-20% accurate. These figures have not been bias-adjusted.

Street name	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Abbey Road	57	52	54	56	52	54	53	60
Abbey Road **								34	38
Arbury Road	50	48	53	53	42	47	50	50
Arbury Road **								29	30
Babraham Road	47	51	51	51	44	45	45	47
Babraham Road **								33	31
Barton Road								31	33
Cherry Hinton Road	45	43	44	44	37	39	45	43	46
Chesterton Lane *	53	48	48	52	47	45	43	51
Chesterton Road	46	45	45	45	43	41	42	44	40
Cockburn Street	33	34	34	36	31	31	31	32	28
Coldhams Lane								40	41
Downing Street	52	52	53	55	50	56	58	55	58
Drummer Street	69	73	74	70	65	61	63	56	54
East Road	45	45	44	46	41	42	44	47	43
Elizabeth Way	56	54	53	56	47	47	47	48	49
Emmanuel Road	56	64	64	75	64	64	69	69	68
Emmanuel Street	70	70	75	81	66	68	79	71	70
Fen Causeway	38	40	41	43	38	36	42	38	36
Gilbert Road	39	39	36	38	31	33	32	33	33
Gonville Place *	48	51	54	59	47	38	40	44
Gonville Place (triplicate, located with continous monitor)								52	52
Hills Road	45	52	52	53	53	49	49	51	48
Hills Road (2)								42	41
Histon Road	52	49	48	47	43	41	47	45	46
Histon Road (2)								41	42
Huntingdon Road	44	46	45	47	41	39	42	36	37
Huntingdon Road (2)								35	36
Jesus Lane *	46	51	57	64	52	57	59	60
Latham Road	26	25	25	26	19	22	20	20	19
Lensfield Road					37	40	41	44
Lensfield Road **								53	52
Long Road								56	64
Madingley Road	53	51	55	56	46	49	51	48	56
Magdalene Street	44	45	44	46	38	43	47	47	46
Maids Causeway	49	54	55	53	46	53	60	58	61
Mill Road	53	43	47	50	42	41	44	44	46
Milton Road	65	64	65	66	54	54	52	56
Milton Road **								33	36
Newmarket Road	50	51	48	48	40	36	41	44	41
Newmarket Road (2)	59	60	58	60	52	51	56	56	60
Newnham Road	63	60	64	70	59	55	61	55	60
Northampton Street	65	65	67	70	53	53	58	55	60
Oaktree Avenue	35	35	35	35	33	30	31	31	33
Parker Street	61	56	60	65	57	51	59	58	57
Pembroke Street	61	63	60	62	51	54	59	53	55
Queens Road *	44	44	45	44	38	39	41	43
Regent Street	54	52	49	50	44	45	47	43	47
Regent Street (2) *	72	76	75	74	58	57	67	70
Silver Street	68	63	71	68	48	50	54	53	57
Trinity Street *	41	41	40	41	37	37	41	41
Trumpington Road	47	48	49	52	38	41	42	40	42
Trumpington Street	51	50	47	49	37	38	41	43	43
Victoria Avenue	50	55	62	65	55	58	60	58	60
Victoria Road	56	63	57	60	47	48	52	53	55

Key

* Monitor was decommissioned in 2007.

** Monitor was moved in 2007.

Air pollution monitoring results

Monitored substances

PM10 and PM2.5

Nitrogen dioxide

PM10

2008 PM10 figures

2007 PM10 figures

2006 PM10 figures

2005 PM10 figures

2004 PM10 figures

2003 PM10 figures

2002 PM10 figures

PM2.5

2008 PM2.5 figures

Nitrogen dioxide

2008 nitrogen dioxide figures

2007 nitrogen dioxide figures

2006 nitrogen dioxide figures

2005 nitrogen dioxide figures

2004 nitrogen dioxide figures

2003 nitrogen dioxide figures

2002 nitrogen dioxide figures

Nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube data

Key

Featured content

PM₁₀ and PM_2.5

PM_2.5