Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Critical Areas for Compliance with PM
10
and NO
2
Limit Values in Europe
C. Nagl, C. Ansorge, L. Moosmann, W. Spangl, and H. Wiesenberger
Abstract The Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (2008/
50/EC) requires compliance with limit values inter alia for PM
10
and nitrogen
dioxide (NO
2
), to be achieved by Member States by 2005 and 2010, respectively.
Member States have been allowed to postpone compliance with these limit values
until 2011 and 2015, respectively, under certain conditions.
Within Europe there are several regions where compliance with these limit
values is expected to be very difficult even after the postponement period.
In this study criteria for the identification of such critical areas have been
developed, and the respective areas are described.
A subset of these areas has been selected and analysed in more detail. Critical
factors that hamper compliance in these selected areas have been identified. These
include adverse dispersion conditions, sheer size of agglomerations, emission
densities from traffic, industry, domestic heating, and deficiencies in air quality
assessment and management.
For the selected areas air quality management approaches have been analysed
and suggestions for suitable courses of action are made, based on these findings.
Keywords Air quality, Air quality directive, Air quality limit value, NO
2
,PM
10
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................... 4
2 Definition of Criticality and Non-criticality .................................................. 4
3 Datasets and Data Sources Used .............................................................. 5
4 General Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
