The residents of Rotterdam are exposed to air pollutants, such as ultrafine particles – which are among the most worrying for health and about which the least is known. Across the whole of South Holland only one official monitoring station measures these particles.
Take part in this citizen science initiative to discover what is actually in the air where you live, and turn that knowledge into influence to bring about positive change.
We’re collecting a large amount of data on air pollution.
So why don’t we know this about your street?
In a port city like Rotterdam, industry, shipping and heavy traffic are right next to residential areas and our living environment. Although we hear a lot about air pollution in the city, one of the biggest threats remains largely invisible: ultrafine particles (UFP).
Sources:
[1] Lungs (inflammation, scarring) | Mechanisms of ultrafine particle-induced effects on respiratory health, Experimental & Molecular Medicine
[2] Lungs (deposition into the alveoli) | Ultrafine particles: sources, toxicity and deposition dynamics in the human airways, ScienceDirect
[3] Bloodstream | Risks of ultrafine particles in outdoor air, Health Council of the Netherlands (2021)
[4] Brain / olfactory tract | Translocation of inhaled ultrafine particles from the nose to the brain, PMC, and Translocation of inhaled ultrafine particles to the brain, PubMed (Oberdörster et al., 2004)
[5] Song et al., 2026: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12974-026-03770-x
STEP 2
The common particles PM10 and PM2.5 detected in air quality measurements are already small, but ultrafine particles are extremely small: smaller than 0.1 micrometres. UFPs are produced by the combustion of fossil fuels in road traffic, shipping, aviation and industry.
Due to their minuscule size and the nature of their dispersion, UFPs are localised and short-lived. Concentrations change rapidly over short distances and within short timeframes; a change in wind direction from the port or a passing lorry causes peaks and troughs in the air you actually breathe in.
How do UFPs affect your body?
Because ultrafine particles are so small, they bypass your body’s natural filters:
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In the lungs
Larger particles often get trapped in your nose and airways and can be coughed up or sneezed out. UFPs are so small that they penetrate deep into the tiniest air sacs in your lungs (called alveoli), where oxygen enters your blood [1]. There, they can cause inflammation and – with prolonged exposure – contribute to damage and scarring of the lung tissue [2].
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In the bloodstream
These particles enter the bloodstream directly from the lungs. Research by the Dutch Health Council links exposure to UFPs to damage to the heart and bloodstream and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. These can lead to serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes [3].
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In the brain
It has been established that ultrafine particles reach the brain via the nose (through nasal mucus) and via the lungs (through the blood) [4]. UFPs do not need to reach the brain to cause damage. When they become lodged in the lungs, they cause inflammation that spreads via the bloodstream, thereby weakening the brain’s protective barrier and stimulating the immune cells [5].
What are ultrafine particles?
Every day, you breathe in 11,000 litres of air. But do you know what’s in it?
Organic food, exercise, the right vitamins, factor 50 sun cream… You do everything you can to stay healthy. But how often do you actually think about the quality of the air you’re breathing in at any given moment?
You cycle to school or work, walk the dog along the Maas, exercise in Het Park or have a drink on a terrace with friends. Because air is invisible, you rarely give it a second thought. But certainly in Rotterdam, with Europe’s largest port just around the corner, full of traffic, industry and shipping, clean air is not something to be taken for granted.
STEP 1
More than you think. By taking part in this citizen science project, you’re doing more than just gathering information: you’re helping to get a clearer picture of air quality in the places where people actually live, work and spend their time. Together, we can turn local observations into knowledge that leads to meaningful action.
Your participation can help to
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Understand your local environment
Discover how air quality changes throughout the day and at different locations in your neighbourhood.
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Provide evidence for change
Data collected by residents forms a powerful basis for discussions with local authorities, researchers, civil society organisations, policymakers and other partners committed to improving air quality.
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To encourage collective action
By contributing measurements, you become part of a community committed to healthier neighbourhoods and cleaner air for everyone. For far too long, neighbourhoods near the port have had little say in what happens in their own backyards. By taking part, we build the trust, unity and local movement needed to influence decisions that affect our health.
You might be wondering: 'What can I actually do?’
The blind spot in monitoring
The Netherlands has one of the most advanced networks in the world for monitoring air quality. These official networks are designed to check whether regional, annual average standards are being met. However, what these measurements do not do is demonstrate the variability of air quality at different locations.
Under the revised EU Air Quality Directive, the Netherlands must have UFP monitoring in place by December 2026 at the latest (see Article 10). Officially, the directive stipulates that ultrafine particles need only be measured at two locations across the entire country (read the government’s response). This tells us little about exposure at a local level.
Using our certified measuring equipment, you – as a citizen scientist – will collect accurate data, enabling us to observe the short-lived and non-uniform distribution of UFPs. Your contribution will provide relevant data to fill in the gaps and help refine the new regulations.
Nobody knows your neighbourhood better than you
Instead of relying on data collected remotely, this project places measuring instruments directly into the hands of local residents to record the current risk of exposure to ultrafine particles at street level.
By combining your local findings with scientific support from the One Planet Port Foundation, Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Erasmus MC, we will gain a more complete picture of air quality in the places where we live, learn and work.
STEP 3
Citizen science offers a fundamentally different approach.
Together, we’ll make the invisible visible
We’re going to make the air we breathe visible by conducting research and taking measurements together.
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From guesswork to facts
We’ll no longer be relying on estimates, but on hard figures from your own neighbourhood. This means that residents, researchers and the authorities are all looking at the same conditions.
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The first step
Using the results of the measurements, we can demonstrate that there is a problem in your neighbourhood. This enables us to approach the relevant authorities and the local council and ask them to find a solution.
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The long-term strategy
Ensuring that ultrafine particles are included in binding air quality regulations.
Together, we plan where we’ll take measurements and what we’ll do with the findings. We provide the equipment, the scientific basis and the guidance. You decide where we carry out measurements and what we look out for. Do you know of a school playground where traffic is a cause for concern, a midwifery practice by the water where ships sail past day in, day out, or simply a place where you can smell the pollution and wonder about the air quality? We’ll map it out together.
Get involved, take measurements in your neighbourhood and help improve the future of our living environment.
This, in turn, will bring about immediate change:
STAP 4
About this project
This project is funded by an academic research grant from the Resilient Delta Initiative (Delft University of Technology, Erasmus MC and Erasmus University Rotterdam) in collaboration with the One Planet Port Foundation. Our measuring instruments are of research quality, certified and independently calibrated. The data stands up to institutional scrutiny. The measurement results cannot simply be dismissed.
Would you like to get involved or find out more?
Sign up!
STEP 5
You’re under no obligation. We’ll get in touch with you first.
Get in touch
General information, thoughts & suggestions
righttobreathe@oneplanetport.org
Office
Maasboulevard 100
3063 NS Rotterdam
The Netherlands
