Can you make a difference on Clean Air Day?

Clean Air Day is today – Thursday 20 June – and is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign.

The theme this year is around air quality and the impact it can have on our mental health, as well as our physical health.

The theme this year is: “Clean up our air to look after your mind this #CleanAirDay”. This is because People who breathe polluted air can be more likely to develop mental health or brain conditions.

Cleaning up our air is good for us in many ways: it not only benefits our physical health and the environment but can also protect our mental and brain health. The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and cancers – have been recognised for decades.

More recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.

Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK.  The World Health Organisation and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today.

At Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council our aim is to raise awareness of this issue and encourage residents across the borough to leave their vehicles at home, go outdoors and enjoy nature while visiting our beautiful green spaces.

In BwD we monitor and manage air quality, with two air quality monitoring stations that we manage on behalf of the AURN network (Automatic Urban and Rural Network).

We also have a network of more simple technology called diffusion tubes. These are located on lampposts in the borough and monitor Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) which can pollute the air, at 46 different locations in BwD.

Levels of NO₂ in the borough and nationally are falling due to more efficient car engines and more low emission vehicles.

We also enforce the rules of Smoke Control Areas which covers emissions from domestic and commercial chimneys.

There is a lot of info out there around burning the right fuel and burning efficiently, on our website: https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/environment/pollution/smoke-control-areas and on the burn right campaign. https://burnright.co.uk/

Children and families in the borough are also playing their part, as part of a new walking to school campaign called ‘WOW’ which was launched in the borough in January by the charity Living Streets.

It encourages primary school children to travel sustainably to school by walking or wheeling, cycling, or scooting and it helps reduce emissions and air pollution around our schools as fewer cars are needed for the journey. 

So far, 10 primary schools are signed up:

Daisyfield Primary School, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Roe Lee Park Primary School, St Antony’s RC Primary School, St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School, St James’ Church of England Primary School, St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, St Luke and St Philips Church of England Primary School and Sudell Primary School.  

Why not get your school involved? Just contact:daniel.oconnell@livingstreets.org.uk for more information.

BwD Director of Public Health, Professor Abdul Razaq, said:

We are continuing to raise awareness that air pollution is a big environmental risk to public health and can really affect our physical health and that there is also a risk to our mental health wellbeing from air pollution.

We are working hard in the borough to improve our air quality by taking collective action in BwD. Our residents can help to improve air quality by leaving your car at home if you can and walking, cycling or using public transport instead as this is beneficial to our health and wellbeing as well as the environment.

I am excited and inspired to see children at schools in the borough taking part in the walking to school programme and I hope more will sign up to the scheme to carry on making a real difference.

You can find out more about Clean Air Day and how you can get involved here: https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day