Fine Particulate Levels During The Guy Fawkes Celebrations
Smoke produced by bonfires contains minute particles. One of the major sources of these particles is the combustion of fuels containing carbon. These particles can cause health problems when they are below 10 microns in size and are referred to as the PM10 fraction. For most people this is unlikely to have any short term effects, but some people, particularly those with asthma or other respiratory diseases, may find their symptoms worsen.
As you would expect on bonfire night we see an increase in the amount of PM10 in the air across the Borough. Here at the Pollution Control Section this is one of the pollutants that we measure at several locations. As we all know, bonfires give off a lot of smoke, this combined with the fact that it isn’t possible to control the burning conditions or the temperature that add to the amount of PM10 produced.
The graph below illustrates the changing levels of PM10 on the evening of the 5th November. The results have been taken from 3 monitoring stations around the Borough. As you can see PM10 levels rose sharply after dusk, peaking between 4pm and 9pm. The highest reading was 129ug/m3 around the Edenthorpe/Clay Lane area. The pale blue line on the graph represents the town centre monitoring station the day before; this shows that levels are normally much lower. This highlights the impact that many small sources can have on air quality.
When PM10 levels are high (see Air Quality pages), people who suffer from heart and lung diseases, especially the elderly, may notice considerable effects. Asthmatics will find that their inhaler is likely to reduce these effects. Individuals suffering from asthma should, where possible, avoid exposure to smoke from bonfires.
Whilst levels of air pollution have fallen in recent years there will always be occasions, such as Bonfire Night, when levels will be higher than average. By taking sensible precautions everyone can still enjoy their evening.
