Cyclist's mission to measure city air quality
Al Pagan, a Bike Worcester volunteer, has fitted a SmogOff device to his bicycle that measures nitrogen oxides and particulate matter - a mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air.
Alongside Bike Buses across the city, he has been gathering readings on some of Worcester's busiest streets during rush-hour traffic.
The data collected will be used to complement the city council's air quality management projects.
The monitor is designed as a stationary device but the sensors take readings often enough that useful data has been collected, Mr Pagan said.
He added: "They say you breathe in just as much pollution if you're sat in the car and most of us at Bike Worcester are car drivers too, so this is something that affects us all."
Worcester MP Tom Collins, said: "Air quality is a huge issue in Worcester, especially for our young people, who tell me that they see it damaging the environment and their own health.
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Two city areas over nitrogen dioxide legal limits
New air quality plan for city discussed
Charity's playground air pollution warning
Bike Worcester
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Black Sabbath donation to help hospice families
A children's hospice says they will be able to support more families at a time when demand for its services is rising, thanks to an upcoming donation from Black Sabbath's farewell gig. Sabbath, founded in Birmingham in 1968, are due to play their final show at Villa Park on Saturday, sparking a big build-up in the heavy metal band's home city. The gig's proceeds will be donated to three charities - Birmingham Children's Hospital, Cure Parkinson's, and Midlands-based Acorns Children's Hospice. "[This will enable us] to be there for more children and families," said Trevor Johnson, Acorns' CEO, who added that demand for services had more than doubled in the last two years. Acorns, which has its headquarters in Birmingham and also runs hospices in Walsall and Worcester, currently supports 800 to 900 children every year, Mr Johnson told BBC Radio WM. Michelle, who has used the Walsall hospice with her four-year-old son Reagan, described it as "a little world of acceptance and calm". Michelle added that Acorns put on "amazing" events for the children who went there and their siblings, such as Easter egg hunts, Halloween celebrations, and summer festivals. Reagan was diagnosed with a life-threatening kidney disease shortly after he was born and needed a transplant. He spent the first two-and-a-half years of his life in and out of hospital. "[The hospice] has been really important, it's been great, because sometimes [the experience of illness] does feel lonely," Michelle said, adding that it had been particularly helpful to meet other parents who were having similar experiences. "As much as you can explain it to your friends and extended family members…it's really hard, unless you're in it, to understand." Two of the three charities chosen to benefit from Black Sabbath's gig are Birmingham-based, while Cure Parkinsons is a cause close to home for lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, as he has largely been forced to stop touring due to the disease and spinal injuries. Joanna Hutton, a nurse at Acorns' Walsall hospice, said all donations were "crucial" because "otherwise we can't stay open". She added that the hospice aimed to create a home-like environment for children, with activities such as cooking and crafts, as well as daytrips. "I think that a lot of people have a stigma around hospices. They think it's really sad, but it really isn't - it's vibrant," she said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Black Sabbath at Villa Park: All you need to know Black Sabbath to give city £20m boost Hospice boss warns of funding challenges 'Proud' children's charity given Unicef award Acorns Children's Hospice
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Campaign to help smokers quit wins council praise
A campaign in Sheffield to help people quit, or cut down, smoking has been praised by the council for its success. Smoke-Free Sheffield, which works alongside 50 partner organisations, was hailed for its efforts to reduce the percentage of smokers in the city to 5% or lower. In 2023, 10.3% of Sheffield's residents identified as smokers, according to the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics, compared to 17.6% in 2017. Sheffield City Council's director of public health, Greg Fell, congratulated the campaign on a "good news story" and vowed the work, and funding, would continue: "There's zero chance that we won't be doing comprehensive work on tobacco control in Sheffield." Sarah Hepworth, the campaign's tobacco-control lead, said Smoke-Free Sheffield wanted to achieve a "smoke-free generation by 2030 across all social groups" - according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "Smoking affects health, wealth, happiness and opportunities to work, climate change and the wider economy in Sheffield," she said. She added shifting the focus of campaigns to helping people cut down on smoking, as well as supporting them to stop completely, had had a "tremendous" impact. However, she said 53,000 adults in Sheffield continued to smoke, and, on average, this group saw their GP a third more frequently than non-smokers. She highlighted how smokers were more likely to be people struggling with mental health issues or living in deprived areas. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Local Democracy Reporting Service Smoke-Free Sheffield Sheffield Health and Wellbeing Board
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Significant impacts to health 'likely' in Worcestershire as heat warning issued
AN AMBER heat health warning has been issued for Worcestershire as temperatures rise above 30C for the second time this month. The UK Health Security Agency has announced the heat health alert warning will be in place from 10am on Monday (June 30) to 9am on Wednesday (July 2). A spokesperson for the UKHSA said: "Significant impacts are expected across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions." Increased demand on all social and health care services, internal temperatures in care settings exceeding recommended thresholds, and issues managing medicines are also likely. Temperatures in Worcester are expected to reach 28C on Tuesday (July 1), before returning below heatwave threshold to 24C peak on Wednesday.
