A new online map of air quality in Hackney has been launched by Hackney Council.

The map gives residents a chance to keep informed about pollution levels near them.

It shows the levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution at 140 sites across the borough, using data from a network of fixed diffusion tube monitors.

The monitors measure an average of nitrogen dioxide pollution over the period of a year.

The gas nitrogen dioxide is emitted by most vehicles, except those that are electric, and it is associated with heat and lung conditions like asthma.

Cllr Mete Coban, portfolio holder for transport and public realm, said: “London’s air quality is improving, thanks to the Ultra Low Emissions Zone, emissions-based parking permits in Hackney and our long-term work to reduce car ownership in the borough, but it remains a public health crisis, killing over 10,000 people every year in the capital.

“This new air quality map will help keep residents informed about air quality in the borough, and helps us to target our resources at the right places."

The map marks locations which meet short and long-term air quality objectives in green.

Orange shows locations with a higher level of pollution, which do not meet long-term objectives but are expected to meet short-term objectives.

For the short-term annual objective for nitrogen dioxide to be met, concentrations must not exceed 200 μg m3 more than 18 times a year.

For the long-term annual objective, the annual mean concentration at a location must not be more than 40 μg m3.

Eleven locations in the borough are orange.

They are situated on Stoke Newington High Street, Dalston Lane, Lea Bridge Road, Great Eastern Street, on Vestry Street in Hoxton, around Hackney Downs and Hackney Centre stations and at Manor House station.

Data from the borough’s monitoring network shows that there was a reduction in air pollutant concentrations at almost all locations in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

To view the map and find out more, visit hackney.gov.uk/air-quality