EU air quality limit value exceedances - Cristina Guerreiro from Norwegian Institute for Air Research & The European Topic Centre on Air Pollution and Climate Change Mitigation.

1. Routes to Clean Air – Air Quality Conference, Bristol 22/10/2015
Routes to Clean Air, Air Quality Conference 2015
Cristina Guerreiro, NILU
Frank de Leeuw, RIVM
Valentin Foltescu, EEA
Jan Horálek, CHMI
EU air quality limit value
exceedances in Europe

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 Effects of air pollution
 Urban population exposure
 Exceedances & changes in concentrations:
 PM10 & PM2.5,
 O3,
 NO2,
 Benzo(a)pyrene
 SO2,
 Benzene,
 Metals: As, Cd, Pb, Ni,
 Summary
Outline of presentation

3. Air pollution impacts human health, contributes to climate change and damages ecosystems. Here are
some of the pollutants the ‘Air quality in Europe – 2014 report’ investigates and their potential impacts.
Why should we care about air pollution?

4. Population exposure in urban areas
4
Estimate for 2010 – 2012
Percentage of urban population exposed to concentrations above EU/WHO values

5. EU daily limit value = 50 µg/m3 (35 days allowed)  P90.4
EU annual limit value = 40 µg/m3
WHO daily guideline = 50 µg/m3 (3 days allowed)
WHO annual guideline = 20 µg/m3
Particulate matter: PM10

6. Attainment of daily limit value PM10 in 2012
Exceedance in 21 EU Member States

7. EU target value = 25 µg/m3
WHO guideline = 10 µg/m3
Particulate matter: PM2.5

8. Attainment of annual target value PM2.5 in 2012
Exceedance in 8 EU Member States

9. Trends in PM10 and PM2.5 annual mean
concentrations 2003-2012 per station type

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EU limit value = 120 µg/m3 (25 days allowed  P93.2)
WHO guideline = 100 µg/m3
Ground level ozone (O3) - human health

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Ground level O3 – crops
AOT40 is an accumulated ozone exposure:
Sum of hourly O3 conc above 80 μg/m3 from 8 to
20 hr accumulated from 1 May to 31 July.
Source:ETC/ACMTP2014/4

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Ground level O3 – forests
AOT40 is an accumulated ozone exposure:
Sum of hourly O3 conc above 80 μg/m3 from 8 to
20 hr accumulated from 1 April to 30 September.
Source:ETC/ACMTP2014/4

13. Attainment of O3 limit value in 2012
Red line: EU limit value for the protection of human health: 120 µg/m3, 25 days allowed  P93.2
Exceedance in 19 EU Member States

14. Trends in the P93.2 of max. daily 8-hr O3
concentrations 2003-2012 per station type
Average decrease of O3 (P93.2) is:
– 1.4 μg/m3/year in urban background,
– 0.3 μg/m3/year in traffic stations,
– 1.5 μg/m3/year in rural background
stations

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EU annual limit value & WHO guideline = 40 µg/m3
In red and dark red: above EU limit value
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

16. Attainment of NO2 limit value in 2012
Red line: EU annual limit value = 40 µg/m3
Exceedance in 20 EU Member States

17. Trends in NO2 annual mean concentrations
2003-2012 per station type
Average decrease of NO2 annual means is:
– 0.5 μg/m3/year in urban background,
– 0.7 μg/m3/year in traffic stations,
– 0.2 μg/m3/year in rural background
stations

18. BaP emissions increased by
21% 2003-2012 in EU
Main sector:
Commercial, institutional and
household fuel combustion:
85% of BaP emissions
Increased by 24%
in 2003-2012
Benzo(a)Pyrene
EU target value : 1 ng/m3
Reference value : 0.12 ng/m3

19. Attainment of B(a)P target value in 2012
EU annual target value = 1 ng/m3
Exceedance in 12 EU Member States

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Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
SO2 concentrations are
generally well below the
limit values for health
protection:
• The hourly LV was exceeded in
2012 at one station in the EU
(Bulgaria) of >1600 stations;
• The daily limit value was exceeded
at 3 stations (Bulgaria &Poland).
Limit value for the protection of vegetation 20 µg/m3
In red: above EU limit
value for vegetation

21. Benzene
EU target value = 5 µg/m3
Reference level = 1.7 µg/m3

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arsenic
lead
cadmium
nickel
Heavy metals: As, Cd, Pb, Ni

23. Heavy metals: key messages
Human exposure to Pb, As, Cd and Ni ambient air concentrations above the target values is a local problem.
Atmospheric deposition of heavy metals contributes to the exposure of ecosystems and organisms and bioaccumulation
of heavy metals.
Most countries have exceedance of critical loads for Cd in <1 % of their national ecosystem area.
Atmospheric deposition of Pb exceeds the critical loads in over 12 % of the EU ecosystem area.
More than half of all EEA-33 countries have exceedances of critical loads for Hg across nearly 90 % or more of their
ecosystem area.
In total, atmospheric deposition of Hg exceeds the critical loads across 54 % of the EU ecosystem area.

24. Most emissions have been reduced

25. Summary
Almost one third of Europe's city dwellers are exposed to excessive concentrations of airborne
particulate matter.
Emissions of the main air pollutants in Europe declined in the period 2003–2012, resulting in some
improvements in air quality.
Most European countries still do not comply with one or more air quality limit or target values:
21 MS exceeded the PM10 daily LV; 20 MS exceeded the NO2 annual LV; 19 MS exceeded the O3 LV for health protection
Road transport, households, power plants, agricultural activities and certain industry sectors
continue to emit significant amounts of air pollutants, contributing to exceedances of limit values.
Several air pollutants continue to lead to significant impacts on ecosystems, forests and crops.

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Cristina Guerreiro
cbg@nilu.no
Thank you for your attention!