The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2007

Regulation 6

SCHEDULE 1 Air quality standards

PART 1 Limit values for Group A pollutants

Benzene

	Averaging period	Limit value	Attainment date
Limit value for the protection of human health	Calendar year	5 μg/m³	1st January 2010

Carbon monoxide

For the purposes of this table, the maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration shall be selected by examining 8-hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each 8-hour average so calculated shall be assigned to the day on which it ends, i.e. the first calculation period for any one day shall be the period from 17:00 on the previous day to 01:00 on that day; the last calculation period for any one day shall be the period from 16:00 to 24:00 on that day.

	Averaging period	Limit value
Limit value for the protection of human health	Maximum daily 8-hour mean	10 mg/m³

Lead

	Averaging period	Limit value
Annual limit value for the protection of human health	Calendar year	0.5 μg/m³

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)

	Averaging period	Limit value	Attainment date
Hourly limit value for the protection of human health	1 hour	200 μg/m³ NO2, not to be exceeded more than 18 times a calendar year	1st January 2010
Annual limit value for the protection of human health	Calendar year	40 μg/m³ NO2	1st January 2010
Annual limit value for the protection of vegetation	Calendar year	30 μg/m³ NOx

PM₁₀

	Averaging period	Limit value
24-hour limit value for the protection of human health	24 hours	50 μg/m³ PM10, not to be exceeded more than 35 times a calendar year
Annual limit value for the protection of human health	Calendar year	40 μg/m³ PM10

Sulphur dioxide

	Averaging period	Limit value
Hourly limit value for the protection of human health	1 hour	350 μg/m³, not to be exceeded more than 24 times a calendar year
Daily limit value for the protection of human health	24 hours	125 μg/m³, not to be exceeded more than 3 times a calendar year
Limit value for the protection of ecosystems	Calendar year and winter (1st October to 31st March)	20 μg/m³

PART 2 Margins of tolerance for benzene and nitrogen dioxide

Start of period during which the margin applies	End of period during which the margin applies	Benzene	Nitrogen dioxide (hourly limit value for the protection of human health)	Nitrogen dioxide (annual limit value for the protection of human health)
Coming into force of these Regulations	31st December 2007	3 μg/m³	30 μg/m³	6 μg/m³
1st January 2008	31st December 2008	2 μg/m³	20 μg/m³	4 μg/m³
1st January 2009	31st December 2009	1 μg/m³	10 μg/m³	2 μg/m³

PART 3 Target values for Group B pollutants

1.  The target values in the following table in each case relate to the total content of the relevant pollutant in the PM₁₀ fraction averaged over one calendar year.

2.  The attainment date for each of these target values is 31st December 2012.

Pollutant	Target value
Arsenic	6 ng/m3
Benzo(a)pyrene	1 ng/m3
Cadmium	5 ng/m3
Nickel	20 ng/m3

PART 4 Target values and long-term objectives for ozone

3.  In this Part—

(a) all values shall be expressed in μg/m³;

(b) the volume shall be standardised at the following conditions of temperature and pressure: 293K and 101.3kPa;

(c) the time shall be specified in Central European Time;

(d) “AOT40” (expressed in (μg/m³) hours) means the sum of the difference between hourly concentrations greater than 80 μg/m³ (which equals 40 parts per billion) and 80 μg/m³ over a given period using only the 1 hour values measured between 8:00 and 20:00 Central European Time each day; and

(e) in order to be valid, the annual data on exceedances used to check compliance with the target values and long-term objectives below shall meet the criteria set out in Part 2 of Schedule 12.

Target values

The attainment date for the target values set out in the following table is 2010, with compliance assessed over the periods indicated for each target value in the table.

Column header	Parameter	Target value and assessment(1)
(1) Compliance with target values will be assessed as of this value. That is, 2010 will be the first year the data for which is used in calculating compliance over three or five years, as appropriate.
(2) The maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration shall be selected by examining 8-hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each 8-hour average so calculated shall be assigned to the day on which it ends, that is, the first calculation period for any one day shall 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 the day.
(3) If the three or five year averages cannot be determined on the basis of a full and consecutive set of annual data, the minimum annual data required for checking compliance with the target values shall be as follows: (i) for the target value for the protection of human health, valid data for one year; and (ii) for the target value for the protection of vegetation, valid data for three years.
Target value for the protection of human health	Maximum daily 8 hour mean(2)	120 μg/m³ not to be exceeded on more than 25 days per calendar year averaged over three years(3)
Target value for the protection of vegetation	AOT 40, calculated from 1 hour values from May to July	18,000 μg/m³.h averaged over five years(3)

Long-term objectives

	Parameter	Long-term objective
Long-term objective for the protection of human health	Maximum daily 8 hour mean within a calendar year	120 μg/m³
Long-term objective for the protection of vegetation	AOT40, calculated from 1 hour values from May to July	6,000 μg/m³.h