Check live pollution levels with Air Aware
People in Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets are now able to check live air pollution levels near them on a new online tool developed by the three boroughs.
The tool, known as Air Aware, shows live particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels, helping people to make informed choices about their exposure to air quality.
It also features a chat function that can provide verified advice in direct response to questions that users ask, which can help people better protect themselves from the impact of air pollution.
Each borough has been working with local residents over the past six months to design and create a tool with information that residents want on air quality.
While air quality has improved significantly in London in the last decade, people’s hearts and lungs are affected if they are exposed to harmful levels of air pollution, particularly over longer periods of time.
Air pollution is also linked to low birth weights, poorer academic performance and a degeneration in cognitive abilities associated with dementia. Air pollution can affect us all so taking preventative measures can help to improve everyone’s health.
Air Aware uses a web-based platform so that it can be viewed on a mobile device, laptop or computer. The councils have worked with a developer and local residents to design a tool that is accessible to all including features such as translation and text to speak. To help reach a wide audience, publicly accessible screens will soon be installed at various locations across the project area such as in the Hackney Service Centre and libraries.
Air Aware brings together information from across the participating boroughs into one place and will keep residents informed about local initiatives and campaigns in which they can get involved. Users will also be able to register for a more personalised experience so that they can receive information more tailored to their locality and their interests.
While we’ve seen significant improvements in air quality in recent years, it’s still a public health emergency.
This tool is the first of its kind in the capital, which has been developed with local people, based on their wishes. It shows live air pollution levels and can answer lots of common questions about the effect of air pollution and how to avoid it.
There’s still a lot more to do if we’re to clean up our air, and that’s why we’ll continue to do what we can to reduce wood and coal burning in the borough and support people to walk, cycle and take public transport.
Air Aware has been developed with funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is one of many ways the borough is taking action on air pollution, which are all contained in the borough’s Air Quality Action Plan.
The Council has an extensive network of monitors collecting data on pollutants and this tool can help to improve public access to this data.
Find out more about Hackney’s work to tackle air pollution and view pollution monitoring at: hackney.gov.uk/air-quality.
Air Aware is live for residents to view at: https://www.air-aware.co.uk/