Zero Chippenham are pleased to participate in the Wiltshire Council Community air monitoring project. We have been given one of the Purple Air PM2.5 monitors, which we have co-located with our Langley Road Sensor.
The correlation of readings should allow us to verify our own air quality monitor readings. Though both monitors use similar technology, the Purple Air is a more expensive sensor, though still considered a citizen science tool, rather than for absolute accuracy.
Unfortunately It’s not possible to embed our own Air Quality monitor readings into our web page due to limitations posed by the free Adafruit data monitoring package we use. So our own Air Quality measurements launch in a separate web page.
We can however embed the Purple Air map into our Air Quality web page.
The Purple Air map is shown below.
Wiltshire Council Purple Air monitors
What is the Wiltshire Council Sheme?
The Wiltshire Council Community Air quality monitoring scheme is a new citizen science community project run by Wiltshire Council, aimed at measuring PM2.5 particulates across the county.
Zero Chippenham have one of the Wiltshire Council Purple Air monitors co-located with our Langley Road Air Quality monitor. This will help us correlate our own air quality sensor readings with the co-located Purple Air Sensor.
What Particulate Levels are acceptable?
What are Particulates?
PM 10 Particulates are small particles less than 10 micometres in diameter (10 to the power -6 of a metre). PM 2.5 Particulates are less 2.5 micrometers in diameter. They consist of non gaseous particles in the atmosphere that can enter the blood stream lodging in the heart brain and other organs. Particulates are of considerable concern to human health.
What are the limits?
The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 require that concentrations of PM in the UK must not exceed:
- An annual average of 40 µg/m3 for PM10;
- A 24-hour average of 50 µg/m3 more than 35 times in a single year for PM10;
- An annual average of 20 µg/m3 for PM2.5.
World Health Organisation
The WHO has set tighter limits for particulates. The current guidelines state that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3, while 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 15 µg/m3 more than 3 – 4 days per year.
To find out more please visit our Air Quality Page.