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The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The UK Government and the devolved administrations published the latest UK Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2007.

The strategy:

  • sets out a way forward for work and planning on air quality issues
  • sets out the air quality standards and objectives to be achieved
  • introduces a new policy framework for tackling fine particles
  • identifies potential new national policy measures which modeling indicates could give further health benefits and move closer towards meeting the Strategy's objectives.

 

National air quality objectives and European Directive limit and target values for the protection of human health
Pollutant Objective year end to be achieved
  concentration measured as:  
Benzene 16.25 µg/m3 annual running mean 2003

England & Wales 5 µg/m3

 annual running mean 2010
Scotland &Northern Ireland 3.25 µg/m3
1,3-butadiene 2.25 µg/m3 annual running mean 2003
Carbon monoxide 10 mg/m3 running 8 hour mean 2003
Lead 0.5 µg/m3 annual mean 2004
0.25 µg/m3 annual mean 2008
Nitrogen dioxide 200 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 18 times per year 1 hour mean 2005
40 µg/m3 annual mean 2005
Particles (PM10) 50 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 35 time per year 24 hour mean 2004
40 µg/m3 annual mean 2004

London 50 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 10 times per year

 24 hour mean 2010
Rest of UK 50 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 7 times per year
London 23 µg/m3
 annual mean 2010
Scotland 18 µg/m3
Rest of UK 20 µg/m3
Sulphur dioxide 350 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 24 times per year 1 hour mean 2004
125 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 3 times per year 24 hour mean 2004
226 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 35 times per year 15 minute mean 2005

National air quality objectives and European Directive limit and target values for the protection of vegetation and ecosystems

  for the protection of human health
Ozone 100 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 10 times per year running 8 hour mean 2005
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) 0.25 ng/m3 annual average [benzo(a)pyrene] 2010

  for the protection of ecosystems
Nitrogen oxides 30 µg/m3 annual mean 2000
Sulphur dioxide 20 µg/m3 annual mean 2000
20 µg/m3 winter average (01 October - 31 March) 2000

 

References:

The full text of The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can be found at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) web site: The Air Quality Strategy

 

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