Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Technological
Developments
Legislation
Test of new
techniques,
devices and
hypotheses
Suggestions to
legislation
Fig. 1 Interlinkage between new measurement techniques and findings with the development of
legislation
measurement technologies and new hypotheses in the environmental health arena
have triggered research and taken forward our understanding of air pollution and
health, which has in turn fed into legislation and emission controls.
Automated, quasi-online systems with highly time-resolved measurements,
and the improvement of data storage and telecommunication technologies, have
led to the current standardised system of air quality monitoring. This is based
on fixed monitoring sites at different locations representing different site types.
The sites are equipped with standardised monitoring devices for the regulated air
pollutants and other optional measurements. The standardisation of the measure-
ment methods is undertaken by the standardising and regulation bodies of the
corresponding countries or legal jurisdictions, e.g. the US EPA for the USA, the
VDI/DIN (Verein deutscher Ingenieure/deutsche Industrienorm) for Germany,
CEN (Comit
´
Europ
´
en de Normalisation) for the European Union, JIS (Japanese
Industrial Standards) for Japan, and by ISO (International Standard Organisation)
for worldwide harmonisation of air quality measurements.
Online data exchange is now possible with the standardised automated measure-
ment methods being employed combined with telecommunication links. This data
exchange allows for timely public air quality data to be sent via video text, the
Internet, telephone and smartphones, as requested in the legislation.
The historical development of air quality measurements over the last
100 years has clearly influenced the monitoring strategies. These changes have
not come spontaneously, but in a cycle, or rather in a spiral of related developments
(Fig.
1
).
Hence air quality monitoring today is a vibrantly developing area, employ-
ing new technologies and improving the understanding of human and environ-
mental health effects,
to work towards quality-of-life improvements for the
population.
