Higher levels of air pollution are generally found in towns and cities, where there’s more road traffic. If you walk or drive on main roads to get to work or school, you’ll be exposed to pollution on a daily basis.
A lot of pollution is also produced around building sites, factories, power stations, airports and docks.
In the countryside, farming can also create air pollution, and ozone levels are higher in the countryside too. In areas where people use wood burning stoves, or coal fires in their homes, this also adds to air pollution.
Fine particulate matter can travel long distances. Saharan dust can be carried over to the UK on high winds, causing poor air quality here, and resulting in health alerts for people with asthma and other lung conditions.
The weather affects pollution levels. Pollution levels can be higher when the air is still. In summer, air pollution levels are often high on hot, sunny days. If you’re affected by weather and pollution, try using an app or website which gives you daily forecasts of both, such as BBC Weather: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather, the Met Office: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/, or Defra https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk.
Top tips for high pollution days
- Limit outdoor activities and exercise so you avoid breathing in too much polluted air.
- Go out earlier in the day when air quality tends to be better.
- Stay on quieter, back streets if possible, avoiding areas where there’s a lot of traffic.
- Walk on the inside of the pavement because pollution levels are lower the further you are from
the traffic. - Keep your car windows closed if you’re driving, especially if you’re driving in slow-moving traffic.
- Be prepared by checking pollution levels in your area. Defra produces a UK-wide pollution forecast every day and for the next five days, so you can check to see if your local area is likely to be affected.
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