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Improving health and wellbeing in Nottingham through improved understanding of the link between air pollution and health

    Cohort 2025 PhD Project

    About The Project

    The harmful effects of air pollution on health are known, but the improvements in air quality reported UK-wide are leading to better health outcomes as expected. This may well be because although standard measures of air pollution such as fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are declining, the composition of the air we breathe and the timing of peak levels of pollution (episodes) is changing in response to changes in both emissions and climate. In the health sector, emergency respiratory hospital admissions due to ozone are projected to increase, presenting a major concern. There is thus an urgency to improve our understanding of the relationship between air quality and health data, particularly at the local scale, where impacts on individuals, communities and health services will be most evident. 

    Through a collaboration with Nottingham City Council, a comprehensive local network of air quality monitors allows us to track, in real-time, a number of key air pollutants alongside temperature and traffic levels.  Used in conjunction with an air pollution model, this data will be used by this project to assess pollution concentrations across the city in unprecedented detail. Health data from Nottingham University Hospitals Trust will be used to track acute presentations of illness and link this to air pollution data.  

    This PhD research project will combine air quality and health data, using Nottingham as a case study. This work has the potential to inform new approaches to air quality targets in the UK and beyond and could provide a step change in preventative advice to communities most at risk of acute air pollution-linked health conditions. Ultimately, the outcomes of this research could help reduce morbidity and local health service pressures and have wider economic benefits.  

    Project Aims 

    The overall aims of the project are:     

    1. To establish a real-time map of air quality across Nottingham by individual pollutants to illustrate overall air quality.  
    1. To establish a linked, secure, real-time database of acute medical symptoms across age and presentation.  
    1. To link and assess the air quality and health data and investigate trends between ozone levels and acute medical symptoms.  
    1. To engage local stakeholders (including the Council, Educational Sector, healthcare professionals, etc.) and wider publics on the findings and implications. 

    Project Team