EFCA – European Federation of Clean Air and Environmental Protection Associations

For a cleaner air in Europe
 
  • News
  • Home
  • Publications
    • Annual reports
    • EFCA presentations
      • Presentations on behalf of EFCA archive
    • Conference proceedings
  • About EFCA
    • More about EFCA
      • Strategy
      • EFCA bylaws
      • EFCA history
    • Executive Committee
    • Members
      • CERCL’AIR
      • Comitato di Studio e Ricerca sull l’Inquinamento Atmosferico della Associazione Termotecnica Italiana (CoSRIA/ATI)
      • Environmental Protection Scotland
      • Environmental Protection UK (EPUK)
      • Gesellschaft für Umweltsimulation e.V. (GUS)
      • Ilmansuojeluyhdistys ry. (ISY)
      • Hrvatsko Udruženje za Zaštitu Zraka
      • Hava Kirlenmesi Arastirmalari ve Denetimi Türk Milli Komitesi
      • Hrvastko Udruzenje za Zastitu Zraka
      • International Union of Air Pollution Prevention and Environmental Protection Associations (IUAPPA)
      • Kommission Reinhaltung der Luft im VDI und DIN – Normenausschuss KRdL
      • NILU – Norsk institutt for luftforskning
      • Österreichische Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Immissions- und Bodenschutz
      • Polska Izba Gospodarcza “Ekorozwój” (PIGE)
    • Assembly
    • Service
      • Policymakers
      • Members for members
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Conferences
    • Ultrafine Particles Symposia
    • Past EFCA events
      • EFCA Assembly meetings
      • Sessions & Workshops
    • Conference Calendar
  • Newsletters
    • Videos
  • Policy information
    • European Union
      • Industrial sources – IPPC Directive
      • National Emission Ceilings
        • Waste Incineration Directive
        • Large Combustion Plants
        • VOC Solvents Emissions Directive
      • Mobile sources
        • Mobile sources: heavy duty vehicles
      • Climate Change policy EU
      • Air quality
        • PM2.5
        • Ozone: protection of health and vegetation
        • Protection of vegetation: other critical levels
      • Policy initiatives
  • Privacy Policy

Air quality

Under the Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution a new Air Quality Directive is in force since June 2008. It substitutes all earlier legislation of the former Directive and its Daughter Directives for the different pollutants and includes the limit and target values for air quality with connected regulation on monitoring, reporting and required actions for the protection of human health and vegetation. A summary is presented in the subjoined tables and on supplementary pages.

A. Limit values

Averaging PeriodLimit valueMargin of toleranceDate by which limit value is to be met

Sulphur dioxide

One hour350 μg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 24 times a calendar year150 μg/m3 (43 %)— (1) 
One day125 μg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 3 times a calendar yearNone— (1) 

Nitrogen dioxide

One hour200 μg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 18 times a calendar year 50 % on 19 July 1999, decreasing on 1 January 2001 and every 12 months thereafter by equal annual percentages to reach 0 % by 1 January 20101 January 2010 
Calendar year40 μg/m350 % on 19 July 1999, decreasing on 1 January 2001 and every 12 months thereafter by equal annual percentages to reach 0 % by 1 January 20101 January 2010 

Benzene

Calendar year5 μg/m35 μg/m3 (100 %) on 13 December 2000, decreasing on 1 January 2006 and every 12 months thereafter by 1 μg/m3 to reach 0 % by 1 January 2010 1 January 2010 

Carbon monoxide

maximum dailyeight hour mean (2) 10 mg/m360 %— (1) 

Lead

Calendar year0,5 μg/m3 (3)100 %— (3) 

PM10

One day50 μg/m3, not to be exceeded more than 35 times a calendar year50 %— (1) 
Calendar year40 μg/m320 %— (1)

(1) Already in force since 1 January 2005

(2) The maximum daily eight hour mean concentration will be selected by examining eight hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each eight hour average so calculated will be assigned to the day on which it ends i.e. the first calculation period for any one day will be the period from 17:00 on the previous day to 01:00 on that day; the last calculation period for any one day will be the period from 16:00 to 24:00 on that day.

(3) Already in force since 1 January 2005. Limit value to be met only by 1 January 2010 in the immediate vicinity of the specific industrial sources situated on sites contaminated by decades of industrial activities. In such cases, the limit value until 1 January 2010 will be 1.0 μg/m3. The area in which higher limit values apply must not extend further than 1 000 m from such specific sources.

Category

  • Conferences
  • News
  • Upcoming and recent EFCA Events

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • July 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • March 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
Recent Posts
  • Ninth International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases
  • Microplastic pollution swirling in city air: Millions of plastic bottles per year
Latest Posts
  • Newsletter nr 38

    Coal as a Christmas giftby Andrzej Jagusiewicz,…

  • 11th VERT Forum – e-conference

    Technologies and Policies towards Zero-impact Combustion Engines…

  • Ninth International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases

    Identify game changers and verify impact June…

  • Microplastic pollution swirling in city air: Millions of plastic bottles per year

    Researchers calculated that 74 metric tons of…

Contact Info

Secretariatc/o Fraunhofer Institut für Chemische Technologie (ICT) P.O. Box 1240 D-76318 PFINTAL – Germany

+49-721-4640 391

info@efca.net

Copyright © 2023 EFCA. All rights reserved
Design by Grace Themes and Flemming R. Cassee