CLEAN Air Day is being marked across the nation today - and Bradford is playing its part in making a difference.

The awareness day is a chance for people to find out more about air pollution and how the issue can be tackled.

Bradford Council is planning to engage with communities and organisations to find out how air pollution affects them, their thoughts on how air quality can be improved and also to find out how aware people are of some of the simple actions that can help improve the situation.

It will be working in collaboration with partner agencies including transport sectors, Born in Bradford and the NHS, on health research projects to make a difference and will use their data to support ongoing work.

Along with eight other Local Authorities across the country, Bradford Council is working closely with the Government to develop a plan which assesses a range of interventions to reduce pollution in the shortest possible time.

Earlier this year, a survey by Friends of the Earth revealed 10 sites in Bradford were in breach of the annual Air Quality Objective for Nitrogen Dioxide levels, which is set to protect health.

Poor air quality is estimated to contribute to more than 40,000 premature deaths across the country each year, with emissions from vehicles estimated to cost £6bn annually to the NHS and society.

On top of this, air pollution has been linked with lung disease and low birth weight and can affect children’s lung development and may contribute to mental health issues.

It is a significant risk factor in premature deaths along with smoking, obesity and alcohol and drug use.

The public consultation will help shape the preparation of the Final Business Case due for submission in early 2020.

How to get involved

There are things all of us can do to improve air quality. These include:

• Not idling your car while waiting – particularly outside schools. Switch off your engine if you’re stopped for a minute or more.

• Using public transport or car sharing more

• Considering a less polluting car when changing – a petrol car for a diesel; an electric or hybrid car for a petrol car.

• Walking or cycling more when taking shorter journeys to shops and schools.

• Limiting the use of wood burning stoves if possible.

Year 6 children in Shipley will be building their own air quality monitors today as part of an innovative European project.

Bradford Council, University of Bradford and Well Bradford are working with SCORE (Smart Cities Open Data Re-Use) and Shipley Church of England Primary School to create technology that will show the temperature and levels of small and large particulate. Particulate matter is the mix of particles in the atmosphere caused by dust, pollen, pollution and other materials and can affect people’s health if levels are too high.

A dashboard app is in the process of being created for the school and the data will be used in schools, by the Local Authority and the European SCORE project to see if the information will help air quality work in other participating cities.

Although other cities are working with communities to build and use these sensors, Bradford will be the first to bring the project into a school in this way.

Dhaval Thakker, Senior lecturer in Computer Science at Bradford University is leading the project at the school.

He said: “This is a great project for the kids to be involved in. It’s a real life science project that will teach them valuable knowledge in a practical and engaging way.

“It’s not often we can offer a project where, by the end of the day, we will be able to get these children delivering results which, over time, may help Bradford Council monitor the air quality around the school.”

“That best practice can then be shared amongst the SCORE partner cities – and it will be partly down to the work the children will have done.”

And it's hoped more people will be encouraged to ride into Bradford with the installation of visible and secure cycle parking on North Parade, outside Bread + Roses.

Green councillors across the region, including those from the Bradford Green Party, have also called on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) to declare a climate emergency. 

They want WYCA to do more to help reduce emissions across the region. 

A spokesperson for WYCA said: “We recognise the scale of the climate challenge and that is why the Leeds City Region is committed to becoming one the of the world’s first zero carbon energy economies and why we’re working with respected climate change researchers to set out a science-based approach to meeting our ambitions.

“As a LEP and a Combined Authority, we have been delivering action to respond to the global climate emergency for many years now. Removing 9,000 cars a week from Leeds city centre through our investment in park and ride facilities and saving 117,000 tonnes of carbon emissions through our Better Homes Yorkshire scheme are just some examples of the action we are already taking.

“It is vital that everybody – from across the public, private and third sectors - works together in collaboration to achieve our shared carbon reduction goals. This issue will be discussed further at the Combined Authority’s meeting on June 27.”