Air quality

Air quality monitoring

Air quality is a phrase used to describe the concentrations of specific pollutants within the air that we breathe, and allows us to describe the air quality within a particular location.

The Environmental Protection Unit previously managed two automated monitoring stations at Richmond Hill and Quarterbridge between 1997 and 2009, which were used to collect data from a rural and an urban location. Both of these stations recorded data for Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and Ozone. Annual reports for 2006-2009 are available as Downloadable Documents.

More recently, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) diffusion tubes have been used to measure average levels over a month, for which the applicable UK/EU average annual limit is 40μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre). On occasion, a monthly reading may exceed 40μg/m3 but this does not consistently occur at each monitored site. Data for 2003-2009 is available as a Downloadable Document.


Since 2018, an increased number of locations in Douglas and surrounding area were monitored with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) diffusion tubes and data is available as a Downloadable Document. The Department is expanding the number of locations around the island to be monitored for NO2 in 2022.

For further air quality information, please contact environmentalprotection@gov.im or call +44 1624 685885.