Legislation
The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs†.
The Strategy sets objectives for eight main air pollutants to protect health. Performance against these objectives will be monitored where people are regularly present and might be exposed to air pollution. There are also two new objectives to protect vegetation and ecosystems. These will be monitored away from urban and industrial areas and motorways.
The NAQS explains how objectives are set, and the scientific work underpinning them is set out in the technical annexe.The pollutants covered are:benzene;1,3-butadiene;carbon monoxide; lead; nitrogen dioxide; ozone; particles (PM10); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and sulphur dioxide.
The objectives are given in the table at the end of this summary.Under local air quality management (LAQM),local authorities will work towards achieving the objectives prescribed by regulation, but not that for ozone since this is affected by pollutants produced outside the UK. Nor will local authorities have statutory responsibility for the two new objectives for protecting vegetation and ecosystems.
Projections suggest that some of the objectives can be achieved through measures which we have already planned or introduced, such as tighter control of vehicle emissions and regulation of industry. Other objectives are more challenging and will require local authorities to take action at local level to reduce pollution in their areas.
Current Air Quality Strategy Objectives for the UK
(and EU limit values*)