East Lindsey District Council are required to review and assess local air quality. For detailed information on air quality in this area, please look at our Local Air Quality Management document.
The Air Quality Regulations 2000 set standards and objectives for seven pollutants that are associated with local air quality. The objectives are aimed at reducing the health effects of the pollutants to negligible levels. A brief outline of each of the pollutants can be found on this web site by clicking the links below.
o Benzene
o 1,3 butadiene
o Carbon monoxide
o Lead
o Nitrogen dioxide
o Particulates (PM10)
o Sulphur dioxide
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
Health effects
Nitrogen dioxide is an irritant gas that can have serious and possibly fatal effects when inhaled in high concentrations. Studies of artificial exposure have shown that for the upper range of possible exposure concentrations chronic effects might include changes in lung structure, metabolism and reduced resistance of the lungs to bacterial infection. No clear link between exposure to NO2 from outdoor air and the above effects has been established. Acute effects, such as increased airway resistance and associated reduced pulmonary function, are experienced by some asthmatics, but there is no clear dose-response relationship. Exposure to NO2 may also increase reactivity to natural allergens and can also cause adverse health effects indirectly by the formation of PM10. The Government has set a level of 105ppb as an hourly mean that it not to be exceeded by 18 times per year and an annual mean of 21ppb.
Sources
A number of natural sources of nitrogen dioxide exist, including lightning, forest fires and bacterial activity in soil. However, the largest proportion of nitrogen dioxide found in the UK arises from man-made activities and in particular the combustion of fossil fuels. Road transport results in around 46% of emissions and power stations emit around a quarter of total NOx emissions in the UK. Road emissions rose steadily between 1970 and 1989 reflecting the overall growth in road traffic in the UK. Emissions from power stations have declined by 55% from 1970 1998. This has been due to a number of factors including the increased use of low NOx burners in coal fired power stations, an increase in the use of nuclear power and gas fired power stations, and an increase in the average efficiency of the thermal power stations.
