Air quality
Clean air is essential for life, health, the environment and the economy.
Air pollution results when a range of substances, such as gases, dust and smoke, enter the atmosphere. It causes significant short-term and long-term effects on human health, and on the wider environment.
European and UK laws regulate emissions of pollutants from key sources like industry, domestic heating and transport.
Kirklees Council have a statutory duty to manage local air quality under the Environment Act 1995. The Environment Act 2021 sets air quality targets and enables local authorities to enforce restrictions on smoke emissions from domestic burning and from some industrial sources.
The pollutants
Air pollutants are emitted from a range of man-made and natural sources. Many everyday activities can have a negative effect on air quality. These include transport, industrial processes, farming, energy generation and household heating.
The air quality issues in Kirklees primarily come from emissions of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) from road traffic, industry and domestic sources.
Health risks
Health matters: air pollution explains how poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK.
Air pollution is associated with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer and dementia. It particularly affects the most vulnerable in society: children, the elderly, and those with existing heart and lung conditions.