Nitrogen Dioxide: EU Law

(asked on 23rd October 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many UK air quality monitoring sites have reported higher annual nitrogen dioxide levels in the air than are permitted under the EU's 2007 Ambient Air Quality Directive in the last three years.


Answered by
Thérèse Coffey Portrait
Thérèse Coffey
This question was answered on 31st October 2017

The limit value specified by the Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC) for annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide is 40 µg/m3. 26 UK monitoring sites reported an annual measured concentration of nitrogen dioxide greater than 40 µg/m3 in 2014, 2015 or 2016. Some sites report exceedances of the limit value in multiple years.

Our modelling indicates that only 8 percent of road kilometres will be in exceedance of the average annual concentration limits next year. Average measurements of nitrogen dioxide at roadside locations outside London have fallen by 16 to 18 percent since 2010.

Defra’s national network of air quality monitors includes 279 sites across the UK. These are organised into networks that gather information for a wide range of pollutants on the state of the air in towns and cities as well as in rural areas. Some monitoring sites are also focused on measuring specific sources – e.g. road traffic or industry. All monitoring data is available on the UK Air website and is used to report levels of pollutants that impact on human health and ecosystems.

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