October saw yet another month of relatively clean air over the UK. However, particle concentrations broke the air quality standard in London throughout most of the month on the Marylebone Road, and occasionally in Camden. Scotland also saw frost and fog bringing raised pollution levels between the 21st and 23rd. Last month saw the beginning of a major restructuring of the UK's national pollution monitoring networks. Widespread monitoring of air pollution in the UK began in 1961 with the measurement of black smoke and sulphur dioxide to study the problems caused by widespread domestic and industrial coal burning in Britain's cities that used to lead to the classic winter smogs. Gradually, the number of both the monitoring stations and the pollutants measured increased. Differences also emerged between networks of monitors in cities for monitoring pollutants that originating from small chimneys and vehicles, and those in rural areas analysing regional pollutants (like acid rain).
Developments in both science and policy have since changed where and how we need to measure air pollution. Successes in cleaning up the UK's air have meant that we no longer need to monitor some pollutants as much as we used to. These include carbon monoxide, which has been significantly reduced through the use of catalytic converters on motor vehicles, and sulphur dioxide, reduced by removing sulphur from petrol, diesel and other fuel oils and by stopping coal burning in many urban areas through the introduction of smoke free zones. By cutting back monitoring of these pollutants, limited resources can then be used to improve the ways in which we measure the pollutants which are currently of most concern, such as particles.
