Pollution datasets

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Pollution datasets#

Last modified: 21 Jul 2025

UK LLC provides datasets on primary, secondary, and flow pollutants including NO₂, PM₂.₅, NOₓ, O₃ and noise pollution, which can support research on environmental exposures and their health and equity impacts.

Introduction#

UK LLC pollution datasets cover both ‘primary’ (formed and emitted directly from particular sources) and ‘secondary’ (formed in the lower atmosphere by chemical reactions) pollutants. The datasets also include “flow pollutants” which are defined as “initially damaging, but are dissipated into environmental sinks with relative ease. Examples include light, noise and heat pollution, biodegradable litter and smog” (Leventhall, 2004).

Studies have confirmed that there are socioeconomic and racial disparities in the distribution of environmental hazards and pollution (Mohai and Saha, 2015). In addition, the impact of pollution on people’s health and quality of life, including the justice implications of disproportionate environmental burdens, has prompted policy efforts (Taylor 2000; Brulle and Pellow, 2006; Bullard et al., 2011).

Examples of health related impacts of fine particulate matter (≤2.5 micrometres in aerodynamic diameter; PM 2.5) and traffic-related pollutants (e.g. NO2) include associated increases in hospital admissions, morbidity, and mortality for cardiovascular diseases (Brook et al., 2010; Adar et al. 2018). Studies have also found that exposure to noise above 40‒54 decibels, (depending on the source and time of day), is associated with many health conditions such as cognition problems, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease, and poor mental health and wellbeing (Morton and Dunnette, 1994; Van Kempen and Babisch, 2012 ; Ang et al., 2022).

The current UK LLC pollution datasets include:

Please click on each dataset for more information.

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