Air quality in Hackney
Air pollution can cause many health problems with annual mortality in the UK estimated at being equivalent to 28,000 – 36,000 deaths each year.
We need to act urgently to protect the health of people living, working and spending time in Hackney by reducing the sources of air pollution.
The main sources for each air pollutant in Hackney are:
- NO2: road transport is the highest contributor, industrial and commercial sources second, and domestic heat / power and construction third
- PM10: construction is the highest contributor, road transport second and resuspension of PM10 third
- PM2.5: road transport is the highest contributor, commercial cooking second and construction third
We’re committed to ensuring that Hackney is a place for all to breathe clean air. We also want to make sure that everybody is aware of the impacts of air pollution, what the levels are within Hackney and what can be done to improve air quality.
We have a statutory duty to review and assess air quality within Hackney. This means considering the sources of pollution and the pollution levels, then comparing these to health-based air quality objectives (AQO).
The pollutants which are of greatest concern in Hackney are nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5).
Hackney measures air pollutant concentrations through air quality monitoring and air quality modelling.
Air quality monitoring
Hackney’s monitoring network includes passive monitors which give us monthly averages of NO2 and 2 automatic monitoring stations which provide real-time data on levels of NO2, PM10 and PM2.5.
View monitored concentrations from our automatic monitor at Old Street. You can find all other monitored concentrations in our annual status report.