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
PARTICULATES (PM10)
Health effects
The air quality objective set by the Government has adopted the PM10 standard for the assessment of fine particulate matter. This expresses levels as the total mass size fraction at or below an aerodynamic value of 10 mm. These particles are considered to have the greatest likelihood of reaching the lung. The Government has set a target of 50 mg/m3 as a 24-hour mean, not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year and an annual mean of 40 mg/m3.
Particulates have been associated with a range of effects on health including effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, asthma and mortality. The health effects associated with PM10 have been shown to cause excess deaths among those with pre-existing lung and heart disease. There is also some concern that fine particles from diesel exhausts may also have a carcinogenic effect.
Sources
Particulate matter is composed of a wide range of materials arising from a variety of sources. These have been classified into three predominant source types:
i. Primary particles - arising from combustion sources (mainly road traffic);
ii. Secondary particles mainly sulphate and nitrate formed by chemical reactions in the atmosphere; and
iii. Coarse particles such as suspended soils and dusts, sea-salt, biological particles and particles from construction work.
It has been estimated that each of these three sources make up approximately one-third of total long-term average PM10 concentrations at urban background locations. The relevant contribution of each source type varies from day to day according to meteorological conditions and quantities of emissions from mobile and static sources.
Particulate emissions can travel long distances. It has been estimated that around 20% of the primary fraction of annual mean PM10 arises from emissions from mainland Europe. Emissions from mainland Europe also contribute to around 50% of secondary particles (15% of total PM10) in the UK, with much higher concentrations during years with more frequent easterly winds.
UK emissions of PM10 have declined from a level of 0.49 million tonnes in 1970 to 0.16 million tonnes in 1998. This reflects a trend away from the use of coal, particularly by domestic users. However, more recently road transport emissions of PM10 have been on the increase, particularly as the proportion of diesel vehicles has increased. This increase has offset some of the decline in emissions from other sources. Coal use and road transport contributed to 51% of UK emissions of PM10 in 1998. Although road traffic contributes to around 25% of national PM10 emissions, in city centres this proportion typically increases to 30 - 40%.
