Air quality regulations aim to protect human health and the environment.
In terms of air quality, three interrelated regulations can be distinguished. The first binds the European Member States, the second the French State, the last concerns the local level. Together, they constitute the regulatory framework that applies to our region.
The objectives of all these regulations are:
- To avoid, prevent or reduce the harmful effects of air pollution on human health and the environment as a whole;
- To assess the quality of ambient air in the Member States on the basis of common methods and criteria;
- To obtain information on ambient air quality in order to help combat air pollution and nuisances and to monitor long-term trends and improvements achieved through national and Community measures;
- To ensure that this information on ambient air quality is made available to the public;
- To preserve ambient air quality when it is good and improve it in other cases.
European directives (Directive 2008/50 / CE et Directive 2004/107 / CE) are transposed into French regulations, which may add more restrictive criteria than those imposed by the European Commission.
National air quality criteria are defined in the Environmental Code (articles R221-1 to R221-3 available on the Legifrance website), the decree of October 21, 2010 and the decree of April 16, 2021 relating to the national ambient air quality monitoring system.
The main values mentioned in French and European regulations are summarized in the tables below:
Table of the main values mentioned in French and European regulations for chronic exposure over one year
The mention (fr) indicates values specific to French regulations.
Limit values | Quality objectives (en) |
---|---|
40 µg/m³ | 40 µg/m³. |
200 µg/m³ not to exceed more than 18 hours per year. |
Limit values | Quality objectives (en) | Critical level |
---|---|---|
30 µg/m³ (protection of vegetation). |
Limit values | Quality objectives (en) |
---|---|
Daily average: 50 µg/m³ not to exceed more than 35 days per year. | |
Annual average: 40 µg/m³ | Annual average: 30 µg/m³. |
Limit values | Target value | Quality objective (en) | Objective of reducing exposure compared toIEM 2011, which should be reached in 2020 | Exposure concentration obligation to be complied with in 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual average: 25 µg/m³ | (Europe) Annual average: 25 µg/m³. | Annual average: 10 µg/m³. | ||
(France) Annual average: 20 µg/m³ | 20 µg/m³ forIEM 2015. | |||
In addition to these values, Directive 2008/50/EC sets a national exposure reduction target for PM2.5. The average exposure indicator (AEI), expressed in µg/m3, is determined on the basis of measurements carried out at locations characteristic of urban background pollution located in zones and agglomerations throughout the territory of a Member State. It is estimated as an annual average concentration over three consecutive calendar years, averaged over all sampling points. The exposure reduction target, set for 2020, depends on the initial PM2.5 concentration.
Target value | European long-term objectives Quality objectives (en) |
---|---|
Health protection threshold: 120 µg/m³ for the daily maximum of the 8-hour average not to exceed more than 25 days per calendar year on average calculated over 3 years. | Health protection threshold, for the daily maximum of the 8-hour average: 120 µg/m³ for a calendar year |
Vegetation protection threshold, AUGUST 40 from May to July from 8 a.m. to 20 p.m.: 18 µg/m³.h (on average calculated over 000 years) | Vegetation protection threshold, AUGUST 40 from May to July from 8 a.m. to 20 p.m.: 6 µg/m³.h |
Limit values | Quality objectives (en) |
---|---|
Annual average: 5 µg/m³ | Annual average: 2 µg/m³ |
Limit values | Quality objectives (en) | Critical level |
---|---|---|
Hourly average: 350 µg/m³ not to exceed more than 24 hours per year | ||
Daily average: 125 µg/m³ not to exceed more than 3 days per year | ||
Annual average: 50 µg/m³. | ||
Hourly average over 3 consecutive hours: 500 µg/m³. |
Limit values | Quality objectives |
---|---|
Daily maximum of 8-hour average: 10 mg/m³ |
Limit values | Quality objectives (en) |
---|---|
Annual average: 0,5 µg/m³. | Annual average: 0,25 µg/m³. |
Target values |
---|
6 ng/m³ |
Target values |
---|
5 ng/m³ |
Target values |
---|
20 ng/m³ |
Beno(a)Pyrene is used as a tracer of the carcinogenic risk linked to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - PAHs
Target values |
---|
1 ng/m³ |
Glossary
Limit value : level to be achieved within a given time frame and not to be exceeded, and set on the basis of scientific knowledge in order to avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects on human health or on the environment as a whole.
Target value : level to be achieved, as far as possible, within a given time frame, and set in order to avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects on human health or the environment as a whole.
Quality objective : level to be achieved in the long term and maintained, except where this is not achievable by proportionate measures, in order to ensure effective protection of human health and the environment as a whole.
Critical level : level set on the basis of scientific knowledge, beyond which direct harmful effects can occur on certain receptors, such as trees, other plants or natural ecosystems, excluding human beings.
Information and recommendation threshold: level beyond which short-term exposure presents a risk to the human health of particularly sensitive groups within the population and which makes it necessary to issue immediate and adequate information to these groups and recommendations to reduce certain emissions.
Alert threshold : level beyond which short-term exposure presents a risk to the health of the entire population or environmental degradation, justifying the intervention of emergency measures.
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