Blessed with abundant petroleum and natural gas deposits, successive governments of Trinidad and Tobago (T & T) have actively courted large scale industrial enterprises (since the 1960’s) with little balance in consideration to environmental health and pollution management issues (PLIPDECO, 1999). The natural resources have been a boon to the economic development; however, it has been a disincentive to conserve the environment. Trinidad and Tobago has reaped the economic benefits of its petrochemical resources, but has been ranked as the 3rd highest (if not 2nd) producer of GHGs per capita globally (Boodlal, 2012). Besides the locally produced industrial and urban linked air pollutants, T & T like the rest of the Caribbean is also seasonally afflicted with trans-Atlantic fine particulates brought over with the stratospheric Sahara Air Layer (NASA, 2013).
These pollutants are the likely cause of the increase respi- ratory and allergic response ailments observed by health workers locally (Mon- teil et al., 2005). Air quality at any given time therefore depends on the surrounding land use, traffic levels, weather conditions and time of year. This study characterised the air quality by investigating how various factors affect the types and levels of pollutants at different places over time. This paper is part of a larger study, and outlines the calculation of an air pollution index for Trinidad and Tobago based on measurement of a range of pollutants during March 2015 to May 2016. The characterisation and distribution of the air pollution are de- scribed only in summary in this paper and will be discussed in greater detail in a separate publication.