Air Quality Monitoring

The Council monitors air pollution using a variety of methods. These vary from simple tubes, attached to lampposts, which "collect" the pollution, to be analysed later in a Laboratory, to sophisticated automatic monitoring stations, which continuously monitor air quality in real time. It is the data collected from the real time monitoring stations that forms the basis of the Air Quality bulletins.

Some of the monitoring stations are permanent sites Barnsley Town Centre (known as Barnsley 12), Gawber, whilst others are mobile units, which are periodically moved around the Borough. Currently, these mobile sites are located at Old Mill Lane Roadside, Pogmoor and Royston.

The latest data from these stations are displayed below, the information is collected directly from the monitoring stations five times throughout the day. In addition, historical data for Barnsley Gawber and Town Centre can be obtained by clicking below.

Air Quality is monitored at the following locations:

Barnsley Town Centre:

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Barnsley Gawber:

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Old Mill Lane Roadside:

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Pogmoor Roadside:

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Royston:

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ppb-Parts Per Billion
ppm-Parts Per Million
mg/m³ -Micrograms Per Cubic Metre

Click here for further information on each pollutant

In addition, Barnsley MBC monitor nitrogen dioxide concentrations by using diffusion tubes. As nitrogen dioxide is primarily associated with traffic emissions, the tubes are attached to lampposts near roads. The tubes are changed on a monthly basis, then analysed at a laboratory, and a monthly average in micrograms per cubic metre is obtained.

Monitoring of smoke and sulphur dioxide concentrations has been undertaken within Barnsley for several decades, by passing the outside air through a filter, which traps the smoke particles, and a chemical solution that traps the sulphur dioxide. This is done on a daily basis so a daily average is obtained. This monitoring is still undertaken at Lundwood, Old Mill Lane Roadside and Barnsley Town Centre (Barnsley 12).

Click here to obtain to the results:
The UK National Air Quality Archive

The Council reports on this monitoring on a frequent basis.
Click the links to download a selection of reports on air quality recently produced by the Council.

• Air Quality Assessment Report (.pdf 896k)
• Air Quality Stage Four Report (.pdf 2008k)
• Air Quality Royston Report 2001-02 (.pdf 595k)
• Air Quality Royston Report Jan-July 2003 (.pdf 32k)
• Air Quality Royston Report Jan-Sept 2003 (.pdf 49k)
• Air Quality Heavy Metals and Hydrocarbons Report (.pdf 82k)
• Air Quality Detailed Assessment Report (.pdf 3195k)
• Air Quality Detailed Assessment - Supplementary Work (.pdf 754k)
• Updating and Screening Assessment 2006 (.pdf 3.9mb)
• Further Assessment 2006 (.pdf 1.06mb)

• Air quality home page
• air quality Objectives
• air quality management
• Air quality smoke control
• Pollutants
• Air Pollution Graphs
• Industrial Air Pollution Control
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