Today marks the launch of six months of air quality monitoring across Lambeth. Yay I hear you cry! And with good reason; currently there are only three static air quality monitoring stations across Lambeth borough. Love Lambeth Air will provide local people with the materials and support required to collect measurements for nitrogen dioxide across a number of streets in Lambeth, providing a detailed picture of air quality in their local area.
Annual mean concentrations of NO2 (2011) © Crown copyright and database rights 2013, Ordnance Survey 100032216 GLA
Lambeth council has funded the project which has enabled Mapping for Change, to offer diffusion tubes to residents and businesses who will now measure nitrogen dioxide outside their homes and offices over the course of the next six months.
Last week Mapping for Change ran several workshops to explain how a diffusion tube works and provided a demonstration of how to change the tube each month. Every month volunteer surveyors will change the diffusion tube outside their home or office and return the old tube for it to be processed in the lab for analysis and the results will be made available on the Community Air Quality Map
There will be another workshop after six months to discuss the monitoring results. This will also include a discussion on ways to help improve air quality and reduce personal exposure and explore steps for further action.
If you would like to find out more or be added to our project mailing list please email the team at: lovelambethair@mappingforchange.org.uk
