Air Quality Management
Air quality needs our protection
Since the industrial revolution man has depended on oil and coal as a source of energy for transport, heat and manufacturing. As the technical ability of society has increased, so has the use of ‘new’ chemicals, such as those used in refrigeration, aerosols (CFCs) and electrical products (VOCs). Although these goods and services make our lives more comfortable, they lead to local air pollution, which can be hazardous to human health. These same pollutants, which upset the fine balance of gases that make up the air we breathe, also cause the major threats of global climate change and ozone layer depletion.
Thinking about air pollution on a worldwide scale is pretty daunting, as individuals we can feel insignificant. Yet, if we all reduce the amount of fuel we use and the number of chemicals used at home, we will improve the quality of the air that we breathe and help the global problem.
Air quality affects human health and can have a detrimental effect if the quality is poor. The Council’s Environmental Services team monitors the quality of the air in the district, as required by the Environment Act 1995, to ensure that pollutant concentrations are at safe levels.
What is the Air Quality like in Mid Beds?
As well as monitoring air quality the Council has a statutory duty to periodically Review and Assess the air quality in the area. This involves comparing the measured and predicted pollutant levels to National Air Quality Standards and objectives.
As part of this process an Updating and Screening Assessment was completed at the end of April 2006 and a Progress Report completed in 2007. These documents can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate download at the foot of this page. These documents supplement the Updating and Screening assessment produced in 2003 - which is also available as a download on this page.
A more detailed assessment was made in 2004 of Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter (PM10) as a result of road traffic at the A1/A603/B1042 Junction in Sandy, and of sulphur dioxide emissions from Stewartby Brickworks in Mid Bedfordshire. The results of this assessment can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate download on this page.
Following on from this Detailed Assessment of Air Quality, on March 7 2005 Mid Beds District Council declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) Order (under Section 83(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990) as a result of sulphur dioxide emissions from Stewartby Brickworks.
The AQMA includes the villages of Marston Moretaine and Houghton Conquest and surrounding countryside areas. If you would like to view a map of the AQMA then please click on the appropriate download on the right hand side of this page. A copy of the AQMA Order can also be downloaded. However, as of 29th February 2008 Stewartby Brickworks has ceased production of bricks at this site as a result of not being able to achieve the air quality objectives for sulphur dioxide. It is anticipated that the AQMA will be revoked in the near future as a result of this.
We welcome your views and are happy to answer any queries you may have about the AQMA Order and its extent. Please contact Alan Stone on 01462 611388, email alan.stone@midbeds.gov.uk or write to Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands SG17 5TQ with your comments or questions.
Air Quality Monitoring
Mid Beds District Council currently monitors for nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone in the area.
There are essentially two methods of measuring pollutant concentrations:
Diffusion tubes - small plastic tubes that absorb pollutants which are then sent to the laboratory for analysis. The results obtained are monthly averages.
Real time analysers - machines that accurately measure levels of pollutants in the air constantly. The results obtained are in the form of hourly averages.
The Council currently monitors at 12 locations for nitrogen dioxide and 5 for sulphur dioxide using passive diffusion tubes. To look at the historical results from this monitoring programme please click here.
Mid Beds also has two real time analysers, one measuring ozone situated at Wrest Park in Silsoe and one on the east side of the A1 in Sandy measuring nitrogen dioxide. A picture of the analyser enclosure and the nitrogen dioxide analyser situated in Sandy can be seen above. If you would like to look at the historical data sets from these analysers please click here.
If you would like to find out more about the health effects or causes of air pollution, or would like to find out about the air quality in the Bedfordshire area, then you may find the following links useful.
Air Quality Web Links:
Health effects of Air Pollution
The Causes of Air Pollution
Air quality in the Bedfordshire area
Industrial Emissions in Mid Beds
For further information please contact Alan Stone on 01462 611388
Regulation of Industry - Controlling Emissions
As emissions from industry can significantly affect the quality of the air that we breathe a number of control regimes exist including the following:
LAPC (Local Air Pollution Control)
LAPPC (Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control)
IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention Control)
LA-IPPC (Local Authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control)
For further information on these controls please click here.
Make a complaint or request a service on-line
* Download Updating and Screening Assessment for Mid Beds DC - April 2006 (application/pdf; 406kb)
* Download Detailed Assessment of Air Quality in the Areas Around Stewartby Brickworks and Sandy (application/pdf; 3577kb)
* Download Updating and Screening Assessment for Mid Beds (May 2003) (pdf) (application/pdf; 1262kb)
* Download Mid Beds DC Air Quality Management Area No.1 (image/jpeg; 4kb)
* Download Mid Beds DC Air Quality Management Area No.1 Boundary Map (image/jpeg; 8kb)
* Download Air Quality Enclosure (image/jpeg; 92kb)
* Download Nitrogen Dioxide Analyser (image/jpeg; 323kb)
