Polluted Britain - what are the facts about air pollution.

This week Britain received a final warning from the European Commission over  air pollution limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Its website gives details over the regulations and other nations which were also warned.

Here are some places to trace facts on air pollution levels.

UK facts

UK DEFRA has a daily monitong site of levels.
there is also

UK NAEI - National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

There are also local authority CO2 emissions 

For a different perspective see the Friends of the Earth campaign for cleaner air. They have a national air pollution map
Greenpeace campaigns


European Perspectives.
Eurostat has some data on excedence of air quality levels in urban areas in EU nations.
Its website also has a larger section on air polution statistics which provides free access to a range of data topics

European Topic Centre for Air Pollution and Climate Change Mitigation (ETC/ACM)
The ETC/ACM is a consortium of 14 European organisations with the Netherlands Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) as its lead organisation.

Main tasks of the ETC/ACM are to:
Assist the European Environment Agency (EEA) in its support to EU policy on air pollution. Its website provides free access to reports, guidelines and a number of free databases.

Airbase. The European air quality database system. It contains, next to multi-annual time series of measurement data and their statistics for a representative selection of stations throughout Europe

European Interpolated Air Quality Maps Annual European air quality maps for urban and rural background concentrations

Global Data

WHO Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database (update 2016)

Climate and Clean Air Coalition involves the United Nations, USA and other nations, read reports  on its website.

Air pollution - research the real facts

Last week the shocking fact that air pollution causes 5.5 million deaths was reported in the media.
For official data look at the World Health Organization Global Health Observatory. It has data by region and for different age groups.
The data quoted in the news coverage was taken from the Global Burden of Disease survey.
 the largest and most comprehensive effort to date to measure epidemiological levels and trends worldwide. The most recent dataset for 2013 can be downloaded from the website.
This includes some estimates on air pollution.
Also reports on risk in Europe
Further fact sheets on air quality and health can also be downloaded from the WHO website.
Eurostat has data for European nations.

For discussion of the position in the UK
Defra has an air quality twitter account which tweets the latest data. The government also produces regular emissions data and statistics.
Environmental Protection is a charity  that 'provides expert policy analysis and advice on air quality, land quality, waste and noise and their effects on people and communities'. Its website has numerous sections on air pollution laws, regulation and monitoring as well as campaigns.These include the Healthy Air Campaign which highlights recent reports and news stories.
Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants - 
provides independent advice to government departments and agencies on how air pollution impacts on health. Its website includes minutes of meetings and publications.