What the Forecast Means

These air pollution forecast covers five pollutants at present - namely ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and PM₁₀ particles.

For each of the UK zones and agglomerations shown in the map on the left, air pollution levels are predicted separated for urban areas, rural areas and as well as the roadside . These are:
The overall forecast for each area is a composite "worst case" of all the pollutants and location types. The forecast is described in terms of an air pollution index which is based on the health effects of each of the different pollutants.

The current system publishes a forecast at least twice daily, which is valid for 24 hours from the time of issue.

You can also obtain these forecasts from:

Teletext Page 156
Freephone 0800 556677
Newspapers, TV and Radio Weather Forecasts