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Air quality

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Air quality

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Project Aim

To reduce the impacts of outdoor and indoor air pollution on the health of Somers Town residents.  

What’s happening?

  • A new automatic air quality monitor on Coopers Lane has been installed, as well as a new network of small monitors across Somers Town to measure air pollution
  • Residents are being offered personal monitors so they can measure pollution in their own homes and when they are out and about around Somers Town, so they can learn more about air pollution and what they can do to protect themselves 
  • Free home energy and indoor air quality advice visits are being provided for households. The visits will give residents advice on saving money on fuel bills and improving indoor air quality 
  • Information about health and air pollution is being shared with residents


How to get involved?
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1) Request a home air quality and energy advice visit

Keep well and warm in your home with healthy indoor air.  Keeping your home warm over the winter months can be difficult, especially if you are worried about high energy bills. Living in a cold home is not only uncomfortable but it can also badly affect your health. The good news is that there are many ways Camden can help you to keep well and warm in your home, and as part of this project, there is a new service available exclusively to households, of any tenure, in Somers Town.

Residents can request a free home energy and indoor air quality visit for their household, to receive support on saving money on energy bills and improve comfort in the home.  The visit will also include advice on indoor air quality to help reduce any impact on your health. 

Please get in contact with the Air Quality Team to request a visit: airquality@camden.gov.uk 


2) Help to monitor local air

Residents can ‘adopt’ one of 30 local air quality monitoring stations.  You will be provided with training to become an air quality champion, learning more about what air pollution is, how we measure it using diffusion tubes, and what the data tells us about local air pollution in Somers Town.  

Please get in contact with the Air Quality Team if you are interested in becoming a local air quality champion: airquality@camden.gov.uk


3) Assist in sharing information about local air quality

We want to empower Somers Town residents with information to learn about local air quality and its health impacts.  If you would like to help us spread the clean air message and raise awareness by putting up posters on noticeboards or distributing leaflets to your neighbours, please get in touch:  airquality@camden.gov.uk 


See next page for details of Free Loans of Indoor and Personal Air Quality Monitors....

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4) Free Loans of Indoor and Personal Air Quality Monitors

For a four-week period, residents can borrow a free indoor air quality monitor or a free personal exposure monitor which will provide real-time information about the quality of the air they are breathing within the home or when travelling around the borough. 

By getting involved and using a monitor you will be able to:

  • learn more about air quality in Somers Town
  • understand what makes air more or less polluted, and 
  • discover ways to reduce the air pollution they might be breathing in.

Who can be loaned an Air Quality Monitor?

We are looking for Somers Town residents, students and community groups to take part in this project. The project will take place over a four-week period in which you will be given a small device to monitor the levels of air pollution in your home or when you are travelling around the borough. It is very straightforward and quick to place the monitor in your home or wear it when travelling about. We will provide technical support if needed. 

To register, you must be over the age of 18 and live, work or study in St Pancras and Somers Town Ward. If you are under the age of 18 and would like to be loaned a monitor, please have a responsible person over the age of 18 register on your behalf.

Loans of the indoor air quality monitors and personal exposure monitors are FREE.  You will be asked for contact details to arrange delivery and the subsequent collection of the monitor including phone, email, and address.

Why take part and what will you get out of it?

We will provide you with a report on the air quality within your home and information on ways to reduce your exposure to possible sources of pollution in the future. 

You will also contribute to London Borough of Camden’s understanding of air pollution in Camden and its implications for how we tackle it and how we can protect the health of our residents. 

How to borrow a monitor

If you would like to borrow a monitor, please contact the London Borough of Camden’s Air Quality team on AirQuality@camden.gov.uk or 0207 974 5291 or via post to:

Air Quality Team, Camden Council. 5th Floor, 5 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG

What is air pollution?

When we talk about ‘air quality’ and ‘air pollution’ we are talking about gases (NOx), particles (PM) and chemicals (VOCs) in the air which can directly harm our bodies. This is different from carbon dioxide (CO2), which drives the climate emergency but which does not usually represent a direct risk to our health.

What is an indoor air quality monitor?

A small device which displays real-time information about the quality of the air within your home on its screen.  The device detects Particulate Matter and Volatile Organic Compounds (chemicals), two common pollutant of the air which can affect our health if we breathe them in. We might be exposed to these pollutants when we cook or use gas-fired or wood-fired heating, or when we use cleaning products.  Using the air quality monitor will help you learn more about what may produce pollution in your home, and what you can do to protect yourself from the pollution.

What is a personal exposure monitor?

A small device which displays real-time information about the quality of the air we are exposed to when we are travelling around the borough.  The device detects Particulate Matter (particles) and Nitrogen Dioxide (toxic gas), two common pollutants of the air which can affect our health if we breathe them in. We might be exposed to these pollutants when we are near petrol or diesel vehicles on the road; when we are eating in a restaurant which cooks food using wood or charcoal; or when we walk next to a dusty construction site.  Using the personal exposure monitor and app will help you learn more about how polluted the places and roads are you usually visit and what may produce pollution when you are out and about, and what you can do to protect yourself from the pollution.