& Your School’s Project Air Quality & Your School’s Project Yr 3&4 combined.

What do we mean by Air Quality? Air Quality means whether the air is clean or dirty If our air is clean it would mean that we would have good air quality If our air is dirty we call it ‘polluted air’ and our air quality would be poor

How does the air get dirty? The main reason for dirty air in Doncaster is transport. The fuels vehicles use (petrol & diesel) When petrol and diesel are burned in an engine it causes a chemical reaction. This results in polluting gases being produced. These polluting gases come out of the car exhaust and cause poor air quality. Discuss other sources.

The Bad Gases The Air Quality Index The air is made up of a mixture of gases, including oxygen. Polluting gases also make up part of our air, although it is only a small amount. When there are too many polluting gases in the air it can be harmful for us. These gases are mainly carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. www.doncaster.gov.uk\pollution

What is the air made up of?

Polluting Gases Nitrogen Dioxide: mainly produced from road transport emissions and other combustion processes such as the electricity supply industry. Sulphur dioxide: is produced when a material, or fuel, containing sulphur is burned. Globally, much of the sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere comes from natural sources (like Volcanoes), but in the UK the main source are fossil fuel burning power stations Fine Particles (PM10): is produced mainly from road traffic. Carbon Monoxide: is a colourless, odourless poisonous gas produced by incomplete combustion of fuel. It is mainly produced by road transport, in particular petrol-engine vehicles.

Health Diagram Refer to c:drive then can do interactively.

How Do We Measure Pollution? In Doncaster we have 6 automatic, real time sites. There are also over 50 diffusion tubes around the Borough.

Your School’s Project Your school is taking part in an air quality project. There will be 3 diffusion tubes put up around your school. Where do you think that the diffusion tubes should be located? Think about how we could prove where and why the air is dirty. Is there a busy road? Is there a factory? All to refer to methodology.

AQMAs All of our AQMAs were declared for nitrogen dioxide. We have 4 areas in Doncaster that have high pollution. These areas are called ‘Air Quality Management Areas’ or AQMAs for short. Doncaster’s AQMAs are all located around the busy roads leading into the town centre. All of our AQMAs were declared for nitrogen dioxide. We have to try clean up the air in these places. How to clean up – reducing cars, making it easier to walk or ride his bike. Having less development etc.

Doncaster’s AQMAs

What can we do? Walk or cycle short distances, this doesn’t produce any air pollution. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Don’t waste electricity, always turn the lights off when you leave a room Use energy efficient light bulbs Leave up while we discuss role play.

What can we do? Why not think of a project that you and your class could enjoy together? You could organise a litter pick around your local area? What about helping to plant some trees? Doing one thing to help the environment can have beneficial effects on lots of other areas too. Leave up while we discuss role play.

Role Play A developer wants to build a big housing development in an AQMA This will result in 150 new homes The roads in this area always have queuing traffic on them in the rush hours Nearby residents are fed up with the current traffic problems and the air quality Work in groups on your tables! Here are some questions to consider: Why do different individuals have different opinions? What problems could be caused if the development were to be built? What benefits would the development have on the area if it were to be built? Finally: Should the council allow the development to go ahead?

Housing Development in Anytown

Role Play Mr Developer wants to build in Anytown. Mr Resident lives on Park Ave and works at the hospital. He doesn’t want the new houses. The Shopping Centre doesn’t want the development. The Supermarket Owner does want the development. Aunty Polly doesn’t want the new houses. She lives on Bramble Way. Dr Mendy is in favour of the new houses. He works at the hospital. The Council Planner (you) must decide – should the development be built or not?

In Summary The air we breathe is essential to all life but because of human activity we are making the air polluted Doncaster Council have to measure air pollution and try and find ways to improve our air quality Your school will also be undertaking some air quality monitoring Everyone can do a little bit to help prevent air pollution – you and your class could decide what you will do today to help the environment. www.doncaster.gov.uk/airq