Air Quality.

The biggest problem for air pollution on the Wirral is traffic. Air pollution is a hidden killer and it hits children, older people and the poorest hardest.

Wirral Council’s Environmental Health team monitors: Ozone (O3), Nitrogen Oxides (NO2 and NO), Benzene (C6H6), Particulates (PM2.5). The Annual Status Reports (ASR) can be found on the Council’s Website

Many local schools measured the air quality in and around their schools as part of the Green Air Schools Project (GASP) run by the Eco Schools team, in conjunction with Liverpool John Moores University. For access to the data, please contact the individual school.

Friends of the Earth Clean-Air Campaign has good information about the different types of pollution, where the worst hit areas are

More locally, Rethink Now CIC works with schools to measure air local quality and put in place measures to improve it. Contact them to find out how your local school could get involved.

The biggest impact on air pollution on the Wirral that we can make is to walk, cycle, use public transport or electric vehicles and plant hedges and trees.

Five things you can do

• Turn off your engine when you are not moving
• Reduce your car journeys
• Switch to an electric when you next replace your vehicle
• Plant a (or some) trees and hedges
• Ask your organisation and the Council to support low carbon travel