Somerset Air Quality

Air quality in Somerset is generally good, but in our major towns traffic pollution leads at times to relatively high levels of some pollutants which have harmful effects on health.  Public Health England estimates premature mortality in Somerset equivalent to 244 deaths a year, amounting to an estimated 2350 years of life  lost in this county due to small particulate air pollution alone.  Other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide add to this burden.  This puts air pollution second only to smoking as a preventable cause of premature mortality.

We can all help to reduce this burden on public health in the choices we make. This website will help you to make choices that work for you and everyone else, whether you are a driver, parent, business owner, car dealer, or responsible for a vehicle fleet or purchasing vehicles. By our choices as individuals and businesses we can make a difference.

Sustrans has also produced a report with recommendations for both local and central government on addressing air quality.

Below you can see the latest national air quality tweets from DEFRA and an international air quality newsfeed.

For the latest air quality news it is worth subscribing to Air Quality News.