London is not known as the Big Smoke for good reasons (Picture: Getty)

The ULEZ expansion is coming at the end of this month, and London motorists will have to pay a daily charge to drive around the city if their vehicle isn’t compliant.

There are plenty of initiatives to help support as the expansion comes into effect, including scrappage schemes designed to make it easier for people to switch to compliant cars.

While there’s still much discourse and pushback to the ULEZ expansion, many can overlook the intent behind the initiative – cleaning London’s air.

London Assembly revealed that the World Health Organization (WHO) found that every London outer borough exceeded the safe limit for toxic air particles.

But just how bad is the air quality in London and how do people even measure it? Let us explain…

How to check the air pollution near me

The easiest way for Londoners to check the air pollution is with a free report from addresspollution.org.

All you need to do is enter your postcode and it will generate a detailed report.

ULEZ will help combat the unsafe air pollution in London boroughs (Picture: Getty)

It’s a completely free public service from Central Office of Public Interest (COPI) which provides every UK address with the most accurate air pollution data available, pulled from a national 20m/sq resolution model created by Imperial College London (ICL).

To ensure accuracy, COPI sourced and mapped real world pollution levels recorded at more than 19,500 council monitors in every major town and city across the UK.

How does the air pollution ranking work?

If you decide to use the free tool, your local area will be shown as a certain colour.

White – this address is within the 0th-19th percentile, and is considered LOW in terms of air pollution

Yellow – this address is within the 20th-39th percentile, and is considered MEDIUM in terms of pollution levels

Orange – this address is within the 40th-59th percentile, and is considered SIGNIFICANT in terms of pollution

Red – this address is within the 60th-79th percentile, and pollution levels are considered HIGH

Purple – this address is within the 80th-99th percentile, and pollution is considered VERY HIGH.

You’ll receive a detailed report for the postcode you submit, plus explainers on what it could mean for your health (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

You’ll receive a detailed report for the postcode you submit, plus explainers on what it could mean for your health (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

What do the different levels of pollution mean?

The report looks at two different types of pollutant and their respective levels.

The first is Particulate matter (PM).

PM is a common proxy indicator for air pollution. It affects more people than any other pollutant.

As per the website, ‘the major components of PM are sulfate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust and water.’

‘While particles with a diameter of 10 microns or less, (≤ PM10) can penetrate and lodge deep inside the lungs, the even more health-damaging particles are those with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less, (PM2.5).

PM2.5 can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the blood system. Chronic exposure to particles contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as of lung cancer.’

The second is Nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

NO2 is also widely known to be harmful to human health. The main source of NO2 is the combustion of fossil fuels. In the UK, this primarily comes from road transport – which again ties back to ULEZ. Exposures to NO2 may contribute to the development of asthma and could increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.

MORE : As expansion day looms, could ULEZ be developed outside of London?

MORE : How much are second-hand electric cars and is now the time to buy one as ULEZ comes in?

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If you need a stark reminder of why ULEZ could be essential