Higher levels of nitrogen oxide can contribute to health issues, particularly among young children, asthmatics and adults with heart and respiratory disorders. Nitrogen oxides are produced in combustion processes, and road traffic is the principal outdoor source of nitrogen dioxide, suggesting traffic pollution caused the increase in nitrogen dioxide in the air during the two weeks of the conference. The average level of NO 2 began to drop in the days following the end of the conference, falling back down to 29µg/m³ by 29th November (see Figure 1).Īeternum’s data follows a similar trend to two air quality sensors installed by the UK’s Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) around Glasgow during the same time period, which recorded a peak in nitrogen dioxide during the conference (see Figure 2). Carrying the M8 motorway through the city centre with five traffic lanes in each direction, the Kingston Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in Europe, with around 150,000 vehicles travelling across it every day.Īeternum’s sensor found the average concentration of NO 2 during the two weeks of the conference was 34 µg/m³ – an increase of 30% (8µg/m³) from October’s average of 26µg/m³. NO 2 levels reached a peak during the conference on 8th November, when Aeternum’s sensor recorded an average of 48 micrograms (µg) per metre cubed for the day – 93% higher than the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 2021 Air Quality Guidelines, which recommend nitrogen dioxide levels should not exceed an average of 25µg/m³ in any 24-hour period.Īeternum’s air quality sensor is positioned under the Kingston Bridge, less than a mile from the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) where COP26 was held.
New data released by Aeternum, a provider of low cost, unplugged sensors designed to accurately monitor air quality, finds that levels of the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) increased by nearly a third (30%) within a mile of COP26 in Glasgow last month.
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