§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has of breathing air quality levels falling below European Community safety standards; in what respect, what areas and for what duration; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BaldryInformation on the concentrations of various air pollutants is collected by monitoring networks operated on behalf of my Department. The European Community has set air quality standards in Directives covering smoke and sulphur dioxide, lead, and nitrogen dioxide. Since 1988–89, there have been only the following exceedences of the Directives' limit values:
1989
Lead limit value exceeded in Walsall (21 weeks over the annual mean concentration limit value);1989–90
Smoke/sulphur dioxide limit values exceeded at two sites in Belfast (i) 15 days (sulphur dioxide and (ii) eight days (sulphur dioxide) and six days (smoke); at Newry and Mourne, 17 days (smoke); and at Sunderland, 12 days (smoke);Nitrogen dioxide directive breached in west London (27 more hours over the hourly average concentration than allowed by the directive (175));1990–91
Smoke/sulphur dioxide limit values exceeded at three sites in Belfast, (i) eight days (smoke), (ii) seven days (smoke) and (iii) 12 days (sulphur dioxide) and nine days (smoke).The breach in west London was merely a technical breach caused by local vehicle emissions from an indoor source adjacent to the monitoring probe. The measured air quality was therefore not representative of human exposure in the area.