Geoscience Reference
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this is to promote air quality monitoring. Despite the increase in the number of taxed
pollutants present in the atmosphere (volatile organic compounds and particles that
are added to original pollutants to form new ones), and the continual increase in the
rate of eco-tax, the tax base has continued to decrease in value. This is due to the
fact that the level of industrial pollutant emissions produced has been decreasing,
and this is linked to changes in industry. Since 1996, the French government has
provided funding to these pollution management associations thanks to LAURE.
However, this provision of funding hides the fact that there has been an inevitable
decrease in the number of industrialists found to promote air quality monitoring. In
addition, local communities are also subsidizing the measurement networks by
providing services that extend beyond the strict monitoring obligations that were set
on a European level.
6.2.2.3. The AASQA have four main objectives: measuring, informing, alerting, and
studying
Management associations need to be aware of the fact that it is difficult to
determine the spatial representation of a measurement site when they are developing
a network of analyzers that are to be used to measure pollution levels. Over the past
few years it has become possible to divide these stations into five different
subgroups: background urban stations; stations located close to roadways; stations
located close to industries; rural stations used as references; and stations that
provide detailed information recorded over a period of time.
The measurements recorded are considered to be indicators of either background
or sources of near pollution. A measurement network fluctuates between two
functions: the first one involves monitoring the sources of emission , and the second
function involves monitoring air quality in densely populated areas or in areas
where the population is made up of lots of children, older people, or sick people.
Analyzers used to monitor industrial pollutant emissions have, for a long time,
been the most widely available. The low level of sulfur pollution that exists
nowadays has meant that each measurement network has had to be restructured so
that it can focus on measuring the pollution levels of more worrying pollutants as
well as fighting against them. The installation and use of these analyzers is often
accompanied by recording mobile measurements; for example by using mobile labs
in lorries or by carrying out experiments that make it possible to detect the presence
of new pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds, benzene, and pesticides, etc.
The measurement networks need to provide up-to-date information on air quality
so that different values can be compared with limit values actually existing for;
sulfur dioxide, particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and lead particles. Such a policy
induces management strategies, which focus on identifying and removing peaks,
more than overcoming the background pollution.
Media coverage of high levels of pollution will also lead to the creation of an
alert. Such media coverage will also make more and more city dwellers aware of the
notion of atmospheric pollution. This means that it is possible to define the technical
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