Ideas for citizen-led research• Mapping air pollution levels around schools, indicating the impact of driving to

school or walking along particularly polluted routes to school.

• Demonstrating how cyclists can reduce their exposure to air pollution by choosing alternative routes.

• Measuring the ingress of traffic pollution into retirement homes, health centres and hospitals.

• Monitoring the impact of strong local sources of pollution in a neighbourhood, such as construction sites, bus depots or congested roads.

• Providing evidence of elevated pollution levels in neighbourhoods where council monitoring schemes are not represented.

• Raising awareness of air pollution health impacts by contrasting community exposure to traffic pollution according to how individuals spend their daily lives.

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Types of citizen-led monitoring• Continuous monitoring (particle samplers)

- Accurate, mobile, lots of detail, often easily understood, health relevant- Expensive, requires training, short periods

• Passive monitoring (diffusion tubes)- Inexpensive, simple, legislation relevant (NO2)

- Indicative, no time resolution (monthly mean)

• Illustrative monitoring (ghost wipes, lichen)- Cheap, interactive, easily understood- Little health or legislation relevance, not quantifiable

• Online data resources (modelled maps, route planner)- Free, openly available, health & legislation relevance, some interaction- Less engagement and ownership

• All methods require appropriate interpretation of results!

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Diffusion tube monitoring (Putney Society)

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HomeSuburbanNatural ventilation

OfficeCentralMechanical ventilation

Travel (lunch)CentralWalk

TravelCentral to SuburbanTube, Rail, Walk

TravelCentralWalk, Tube

Continuous monitoring (BRC pilot)

Travel CentralWalk

Travel CentralWalk

NurseryCentralNatural ventilation

HomeInnerNatural ventilation

Continuous monitoring (BRC pilot)

School pupil travelling to/from school

Bus to school

along main roads

Walk from school along back roads

School in suburban location

Home close to the A2

Cumulative BC exposure (7am to midnight)

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