What are the Drivers and Legal Requirements for Ambient Monitoring?

National and local Government and devolved administrations are committed to meeting people’s right to clean air. It is essential for a good quality of life. The Environment Act 1995 required the UK Government and the devolved administrations for Scotland and Wales to produce a national air quality strategy containing standards, objectives and measures for improving ambient air quality and to keep these policies under review. There is equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland. There is also an EU Directive 96/62/EC which also sets a framework for how the UK must monitor and report ambient levels of air pollutants.

The most recent strategy was published in July 2007 (Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in July 2007 Cmd paper No 7169) which sets out the overall air quality standards and
objectives.

Since 1997 when the first strategy was published, local authorities in the UK have been carrying out a review and assessment of air quality in their area. The aim of the review is to assist authorities in carrying out their statutory duty to work towards meeting the national air quality objectives. If a local authority finds any places where the objectives are not likely to be achieved, it must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) there. Typical criteria would combine the population density in conjunction with the results of air quality from a short monitoring campaign.

Objectives for air pollution are concentrations over a given time period that are considered to be acceptable in the light of what is known about the effects of each pollutant on health and on the environment. They can also be used as a bench mark to see if air pollution is getting better or worse.

Many regions and conurbations have now implemented best practice guidance alongside the statutory requirements to help reduce emissions from these sources. Many integrated traffic management plans are now also in operation where the objective is to work towards lower emissions by enforcement. A recent Air Quality Strategy targeting freight vehicles has just been published for London, which focuses on reducing this significant source of air pollution in the city. There is also published best practice guidance for operators of construction and demolition sites, to help minimise emissions particularly of particulates from their processes.

The latest report form DEFRA (March 2010) indicates that although most of the legal limits on ambient air quality are now met across most of the UK, some hotspots still remain in urban areas, and effort is still needed. A new framework for PM2.5 particulate levels reduction means that exposure rates must be driven down in order to meet 2020 target levels. Legislation continues on the principle that it is best practice to reduce all levels as low as is practically possible.