Causes and effects of poor air quality

Like it or not, each and every one of us has an impact on our environment, including the quality of air we breathe. Decades of widespread car use have led to dangerously high levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air. The situation will get worse unless we all commit to making positive changes.

Fumes from vehicles are one of the main causes of poor air quality. Although the problem is largely invisible to the naked eye, it has a massive impact on public health and wellbeing, as well as the environment.

It was recently claimed by experts at King’s College that Londoners’ lives are being cut short by up to 10 years as a result of air pollution, which is a warning for other regions like Tyne and Wear, where increasing traffic is having a detrimental impact on the environment.

The good news is that it’s not too late to make a difference. If we all made small changes to the ways in which we travel – using more public transport, walking and cycling, for example – we would undoubtedly see an improvement in levels of nitrogen dioxide, which would mean our air was getting cleaner. The local area pages of this site, as well as the news section will give you ideas and inspiration on how you can get involved with Be Air Aware today, and improve Tyne and Wear for the future.