Air quality monitoring

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) and Particle monitoring

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is measured (in micrograms/m3 (per metre cube)) in real time at Beresford Street and at 20 sites around the Island using passive diffusion tubes which are sent off monthly to the UK for analysis. Diffusion tubes are also used to measure 4 VOC's (Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene and Xylene) at 5 other sites around the Island.

Particles (also known as particulate matter) are categorised as:

total suspended particles TSPs
PM10
PM2.5

They're measured in real time at Beresford Street in St Helier in micrograms/m3. A second unit measures background particle levels in Howard Davis Park.

NO2, VOCs and Particles are associated with traffic emissions and are potentially hazardous to health. Air quality in Jersey is generally good however there are increased levels of air pollution at hotspots such as in the tunnel and areas prone to congestion.

The Natural Environment Department are trialling a number of low cost sensors (that measure NO2, Ozone O3, Particles (PM10 and PM2.5) and temperature and humidity) to determine if they are suitable for our needs. We hope in the future to provide a number of sensors around Jersey to provide real time data to allow the public to make informed decisions around whether to travel or not.

Data from the Departments real time particle analysers are shown in the graphs below. The data shown covers the latest 24 hours of reporting.

The results and analysis of this monitoring is published annually in a report by UK consultants Ricardo, Energy and Environment, the Air Quality Monitoring annual report 2022.

Air Quality Index - PM₁₀ Particles

Index	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Band	Low	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	High	High	High	Very High
µg/m³	0-16	17-33	34-50	51-58	59-66	67-75	76-83	84-91	92-100	101 or more

Health studies report that:

when air pollution is 'Low' (1‐3) effects are unlikely to be noticed even by those who are sensitive to air pollution
when air pollution is 'Moderate' (4‐6) sensitive people may notice mild effects but these are unlikely to need action
when air pollution is 'High' (7‐9) sensitive people may notice significant effects and may need to take action
when air pollution is 'Very High' (10) effects on sensitive people, described for 'High' pollution, may worsen

Beresford Street

Osiris Beresford Street monitor

This unit is a kerbside monitor and is sited close to Beresford Street so monitors particles from traffic sources. Spikes in particle pollution are generally due to vehicles leaving their engines running close to the monitor and traffic congestion on Beresford Street.

Howard Davis Park

Osiris HD monitor

This unit is a background monitor and is sited within the park so monitors particles from non-traffic sources such as sea salt, sand, biological moulds and spores which are larger than PM2.5s.

You can find the Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) data for Jersey on air pollution monitoring and particle data at other sites throughout the world is available on AirQWeb.

Apps

Download the AirQApp application that displays results from environment sensors that collect particle levels in Jersey.

Air quality reports and documents

The Government of Jersey publishes air quality reports annually. These can be found below along with Jerseys Air Quality Strategy 2012, which sets out targets and objectives aimed at maintaining or improving the Air Quality on the Island, and the Air Quality Project Plan which details more specifically what actions are planned over the coming years.

These documents need updating and should complement the:

Climate Change Strategy
Carbon Roadmap
Sustainable Transport Plan
Bridging Island Plan

Report on Turnkey Osiris particle results at Beresford Street and Howard Davis Park sites

Air Quality Strategy 2012

Jersey Air Quality Project Plan

Vehicles emissions

This summary report presents a sample of the analysis of the real-world emissions measurements from vehicles in Jersey.

Report on vehicle emissions remote sensing in Jersey

Air quality in the tunnel

The short study includes a number of different assessments to evaluate:

exposure of commuters traveling through the tunnel using different modes of transport
concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the tunnel
concentrations of nitrogen dioxide for pedestrians using alternative routes to work

Air quality monitoring in the tunnel, St Helier

Historical monitoring

We’ve been assessing and reporting on the quality of Island air since 1997.

You can find previous air monitoring reports on States reports.