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New data has revealed some of the best and worst areas in Sussex for air quality. The information, collected by IQAir, revealed several towns in the county exceeded the World Health Organisation's recommended levels of fine particulate matter. Air quality is determined by the condition of the air, including the presence of pollutants and other contaminants that can affect human health and the environment.
One aspect of this determination is particulate matter (PM), which includes a wide variety of chemical compounds and materials, some of which may be toxic. According to the UK government, exposure to PM can have serious health impacts, especially on vulnerable groups such as the young, elderly, and those with respiratory problems. The data from IQAir focuses on average yearly levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.
5, which are small particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter. Due to their small size, PM2.
5 particles may "enter the bloodstream and be transported around the body, lodging in the heart, brain and other organs", according to the government. Of the seven Sussex locations included in the IQAir data, all but one exceeded the World Health Organisation's recommended PM2.5 level of 5μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre).
Worthing had the highest PM2.5 level, with a 2024 average of 10μg/m3, up from 8.3μg/m3 in 2023.
This was followed by Brighton, which had a 2024 average of 7.2μg/m3. However, air quality in Brighton has been improving in recent years, with levels decreasing from a peak of 11.
5μg/m3 in 2021. Other locations that exceeded the recommended level included Eastbourne, with 6.7μg/m3; Polegate, with 6.
4μg/m3; and Horsham, with 6.2μg/m3 in 2024, a significant decrease from 8.4μg/m3 in 2023.
Hastings had a 2024 level of 5.7μg/m3, a huge drop from 9.6μg/m3 in 2023.
Read next: Three museum cafes in Sussex named among the 50 best in the UK The only location in Sussex to be below the World Health Organisation's recommended level was the village of West Hoathly in West Sussex, which had an average of 4.1μg/m3 last year. IQAir said: "Every year, seven million people die from air pollution and billions more suffer from its devastating effects.
Many communities still lack access to timely air quality information and solutions. "IQAir is changing that. We operate the world’s largest free real-time air quality monitoring platform—empowering individuals, researchers and governments to monitor, understand and act to protect the health of populations around the globe.
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