Alphasense OPCs can help achieve the UK’s new PM2.5 target

On 16th March 2022, the UK government announced new targets to reduce the acceptable airborne level of PM2.5 particulate matter to 10 micrograms per cubic metre by 2040.

Poor air quality caused by high levels of airborne particulates has been consistently linked with higher rates of cancer, respiratory disorders, heart attacks, depression and infertility, especially in urban environments. The new government guidelines are designed to reduce the risk of these conditions by halving the number of acceptable PM2.5 particles in the air to 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

Poor air quality caused by high levels of airborne particulates has been consistently linked with higher rates of cancer, respiratory disorders, heart attacks, depression and infertility, especially in urban environments. The new government guidelines are designed to reduce the risk of these conditions by halving the number of acceptable PM2.5 particles in the air to 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

Over the next 18 years, local governments and regional councils will be responsible for achieving the new target by actively monitoring air quality and introducing new schemes and initiatives to reduce levels of harmful airborne particulates in urban environments and public spaces.

Key to achieving these targets will be the widespread use of high-accuracy, low-cost air quality monitoring devices in both outdoor and indoor locations. These instruments offer a reliable, affordable option for schools, councils, institutions or private companies tasked with measuring the number of airborne PM2.5 particles in a given environment.

The Alphasense OPC-N3 and OPC-R2 Optical Particulate Counter (OPCs) are designed to offer high accuracy, low-cost options for air quality instruments that monitor dangerous airborne particulates. Both devices can detect and count particles at sizes PM1, PM2.5, PM10 and PM4.25 (as an option), and both devices output their readings as digital data using the software supplied with them.