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What is the Air Quality Strategy?
The Air Quality Strategy was published by the UK Government and the devolved administrations
in January 2000. Its aims are to:
- map out as far as possible future ambient air quality policy in the United Kingdom in the medium term
- provide best practicable protection to human health by setting health-based objectives for air pollutants
- contribute to the protection of the natural environment through objectives for the protection of vegetation and ecosystems
- describe current and future levels of air pollution
- provide a framework to help identify what we all can do to improve air quality
What are the Air Quality Strategy Objectives?
The Strategy's air quality objectives are set out in table the below:
Air Quality Strategy 2000 objectives and objectives prescribed in regulations for the purpose of local air quality management |
Pollutant |
Objective |
Concentration measured as |
Date to be achieved by: |
Information and table taken from The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland: Addendum, Defra, February 2003. |
Benzene |
16.25 ugm-3 (5 ppb) |
running annual mean |
31 December 2003 |
Benzene (apart from Scotland and Northern Ireland) |
5 ugm-3 (1.54 ppb) |
annual average |
31 December 2010 |
1,3-butadiene |
2.25 ugm-3 (1 ppb) |
running annual mean |
31 December 2003 |
Carbon Monoxide (apart from Scotland) |
10 mgm-3 (8.6 ppb) |
maximum daily running 8-hour mean |
31 December 2003 |
Lead |
0.5 ugm-3 |
annual mean |
31 December 2004 |
0.25 ugm-3 |
annual mean |
31 December 2008 |
Nitrogen Dioxide |
200 ugm-3 (105 ppb)
Not to be exceeded more than 18 times a year |
hourly mean |
31 December 2005 |
40 ugm-3 (21 ppb) |
annual mean |
31 December 2005 |
Sulphur Dioxide |
350 ugm-3 (132 ppb)
Not to be exceeded more than 24 times a year |
1 hour mean |
31 December 2004 |
125 ugm-3 (47 ppb)
Not to be exceeded more than 3 times a year |
24-hour mean |
31 December 2004 |
266 ugm-3 (100 ppb)
Not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year |
15-minutes mean |
31 December 2005 |
PM10 Particles |
50 ugm-3
Not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year |
24-hour mean |
31 December 2004 |
40 ugm-3 |
annual mean |
31 December 2004 |
PM2.5 Particles |
25 ugm-3 |
annual mean |
01 January 2015 |
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