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Air Pollution in Guernsey
Welcome to the Guernsey air quality webpages. This section allows you to find out what the latest pollution levels in Guernsey area are at the moment. You can also find out more about air pollution, and view data for indivdual automatic monitoring stations around the region.
The interactive map shows the locations of the automatic monitoring stations - click on one of these to view data, graphs and site information.
Data Files
Listed below are options for downloading monitoring data from Guernsey. The downloaded files contain up-to-date automatic monitoring data. There are two formats to the files; a file containing all pollutants measured at a site for each year, or pollutant specific data files.
All dates are provided in GMT and are hour ending.
In pollutant-specific data files, each row represents a given calendar date and each column a time of day. Provisional data is noted with two hash symbols (##) before the date.
Each measurement is assigned a status code. The definitions are the following:
- R = Ratified
- P = Provisional
- P* = As Supplied
- S = Suspect
Air Quality Reports for Guernsey
Air quality reports can be downloaded on this page. Select a year and a report, and then click the 'Download' button to download it.
Daily Air Quality Index
The following is information provided by the UK Government and is provided as a reference point on the UK’s guidance and recommendations.
How to use the Daily Air Quality Index
- Determine whether you (or your children) are likely to be at-risk from air pollution. Information on groups who may be affected is provided on the Health Effects of Air Pollution page on GOV.UK. Your doctor may also be able to give you advice.
- Use the health messages corresponding to the highest forecast level of pollution as a guide.
Boundaries Between Index Points for Each Pollutant
The table below shows the boundaries between each index points for common pollutants measured. For more further details about this information, please visit the Pollutant concentrations for the Daily Air Quality Index page on GOV.UK.
Monitoring Site Environments
The table below shows the typical types of environment that air pollution monitoring stations are located. A brief description for each one is provided. These are based on site classifcations defined by the UK government.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some useful FAQs are listed below.
What leads to poor air quality?
In both developed and rapidly industrialising countries, the major historic air pollution problem has typically been high levels of smoke and sulphur dioxide arising from the combustion of sulphur-containing fossil fuels such as coal for domestic and industrial purpose. The major threat to clean air is now posed by traffic emissions.
Petrol and diesel-engined motor vehicles emit a wide variety of pollutants, principally carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulates (PM10), which have an increasing impact on urban air quality. In addition, photochemical reactions resulting from the action of sunlight on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and VOCs from vehicles leads to the formation of ozone, a secondary long-range pollutant, which impacts in rural areas often far from the original emission site. Acid rain is another long-range pollutant influenced by vehicle NOx emissions.
What are the effects of poor air quality?
Air pollution can damage trees and plants, buildings, and contribute to global warming. For humans, there is evidence that high levels of pollution can cause damage to the body, specially the lungs, cause heart attacks, and could lead to a premature death if already ill.
UK government research indicates the annual mortality of human-made air pollution in the UK is roughly equivalent to between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths every year. Read more on GOV.UK.
Is poor air quality harmful to health?
Many air pollutants have known or suspected harmful effects on human health and the environment. Combustion, motor vehicle traffic, space heating, and power generation primarily generate these pollutants in Europe. These pollutants can travel long distances, so not only affect the environment at their source, but also react to other chemicals in the atmosphere to produce secondary pollutants such as acid rain or ozone.
Can I do anything?
A variety of things can be done by everyone to help keep air pollution low, and protect their health when levels rise:
- Don't burn your waste.
- Try to use your car less often - walk, cycle or use public transport. Cycling or walking is healthier for both the environment, and for you.
- Ask your employer, school or college about developing a green travel plan.
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