HC Deb 20 December 1994 vol 251 cc1108-9W
Mr. William O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names of the sites for recording air pollution in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

Mr. Atkins

The following automatic monitoring stations funded by the Department of the Environment are located in the Yorkshire and Humberside regionBarnsley, Leeds, Kingston-upon-Hull, Sheffield and High Muffles in North Yorkshire.

The Department in collaboration with local authorities is supporting on-going national surveys of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide using passive diffusion tube samplers. Measurements of smoke are also made at the same sites as those used for the sulphur dioxide measurements. The local authorities listed are involved in these surveys.

  1. (a) Nitrogen Dioxide:
    • Humberside
    • —Boothferry, Glanford, Grimsby and Kingston-upon-Hull. Yorkshire
    • —Bradford, Calderdale, Doncaster, Hambleton, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Richmondshire, Rotherham, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby and Wakefield.
    • [There are four diffusion tube sites in each area.]
  2. (b) Smoke/Sulphur Dioxide:
    • Humberside
    • —Cleethorpes (2), Glanford (1), Grimsby (1), Kingston-upon-Hull (1) and Scunthorpe (1).
    • Yorkshire
    • —Barnsley (11), Bradford (2), Calderdale (2), Doncaster (4), Kirklees (3), Leeds (3), Rotherham (4), Scarborough (1), Selby (1), Sheffield (1), Wakefield (9 including Normanton) and York (2).
    • [The number in brackets gives the number of sites in each area.]

There are also acid deposition monitoring stations situated at High Muffles and Thorganby. The levels of lead and nine other inorganic elements are measured in Leeds.

Mr. William O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what pollutants are included in the collection of air samples at his Department's fund monitoring stations.

Mr. Atkins

The Department of the Environment monitors the levels of ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, fine particulates as PM10 and 26 volatile organic compounds, including benzene and 1,3-butadiene across the United Kingdom using a number of different automatic analysers.

The Department in collaboration with local authorities is supporting on-going national surveys of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide using passive diffusion tube samplers. Measurements of smoke are also made at the same sites as those used for the sulphur dioxide measurements.

Further networks monitor the levels of (a) lead and nine other inorganic elements, and (b) toxic organic micropollutants such as dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

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