The Air Quality Standards Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010

Regulation 8(1)

SCHEDULE 1 N.I. Sampling points for measurement of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter, lead, benzene and carbon monoxide in ambient air

PART 1 N.I.

General N.I.

1.  Ambient air quality shall be assessed at sampling points located in accordance with this Schedule, except at locations set out in paragraph 2.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 1 Pt. 1 para. 1 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

2.  Compliance with limit values directed at the protection of human health does not need to be assessed at the following locations—

(a) any location situated within areas where members of the public do not have access and there is no fixed habitation;

(b) on factory premises or at industrial locations to which all relevant provisions concerning health and safety at work apply; and

(c) on the carriageway of roads and on the central reservations of roads except where there is normally pedestrian access to the central reservation.

Commencement Information

I2 Sch. 1 Pt. 1 para. 2 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

3.  Insofar as they are relevant, the principles set out in the Schedule also apply to indicative measurement and modelling.

Commencement Information

I3 Sch. 1 Pt. 1 para. 3 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

PART 2 N.I. Macroscale siting of sampling points

Sampling points for the protection of human health N.I.

1.  Sampling points directed at the protection of human health must be sited to provide data on—

(a) the areas within zones where the highest concentrations occur to which the population is likely to be directly or indirectly exposed for a period which is significant in relation to the averaging period of the limit values; and

(b) levels in other areas within the zones which are representative of the exposure of the general population.

Commencement Information

I4 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 1 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

2.  Sampling points shall in general be sited to avoid measuring very small micro-environments in their immediate vicinity. Where feasible, the Department shall locate sampling points so as to be representative of air quality in a street segment of no less than 100 m in length at traffic-orientated sites or an area of at least 250 m x 250 m at industrial sites.

Commencement Information

I5 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 2 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

3.  Sampling points in urban background locations shall be located so that their pollution level is influenced by the combined contribution from all sources upwind of the station. The pollution level should not be dominated by a single source unless such a situation is typical for a larger urban area. Those sampling points shall, as a general rule, be representative for several square kilometres.

Commencement Information

I6 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 3 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

4.  Where the objective is to assess rural background levels, the sampling point shall not be influenced by agglomerations or industrial sites in its vicinity, i.e. closer than five kilometres.

Commencement Information

I7 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 4 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

5.  Where contributions from industrial sources are to be assessed, at least one sampling point shall be installed downwind of the source in the nearest residential area. Where the background concentration is not known, an additional sampling point shall be situated within the main wind direction.

Commencement Information

I8 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 5 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

6.  Sampling points shall also, where possible, be representative of similar locations not in their immediate vicinity.

Commencement Information

I9 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 6 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

7.  Account shall be taken of the need to locate sampling points on islands, where it is necessary for the protection of human health.

Commencement Information

I10 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 7 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

Protection of ecosystems and vegetation N.I.

8.  Sampling points targeted at the protection of ecosystems or vegetation shall be sited more than 20 km from agglomerations or more than 5 km from other built-up areas, industrial installations or motorways or major roads with traffic counts of more than 50,000 vehicles per day. The Department shall locate sampling points so as to be representative of air quality in a surrounding area of at least 1000 km². A sampling point may be sited at a lesser distance or to be representative of air quality in a less extended area, taking account of geographical conditions or opportunities to protect particularly vulnerable areas. Account shall be taken of the need to assess air quality on islands.

Commencement Information

I11 Sch. 1 Pt. 2 para. 8 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

PART 3 N.I.

Microscale siting of sampling points N.I.

9.  Insofar as is practicable, sampling points shall be situated in accordance with the following criteria—

[F1 (a) the flow around the inlet sampling probe shall be unrestricted (in general free in an arc of at least 270° or 180° for sampling points at the building line) without any obstructions affecting the airflow in the vicinity of the inlet (normally some metres away from buildings, balconies, trees and other obstacles and at least 0.5 m from the nearest building in the case of sampling points representing air quality at the building line);

(b) in general, the inlet sampling point shall be between 1.5 m (the breathing zone) and 4 m above the ground. Higher siting may also be appropriate if the station is representative of a large area and any derogations should be fully documented;]

(c) the inlet probe shall not be positioned in the immediate vicinity of sources in order to avoid the direct intake of emissions unmixed with ambient air;

(d) the sampler’s exhaust outlet must be positioned so that recirculation of exhaust air to the sampler inlet is avoided;

(e) [F2 in relation to the location of traffic-orientated samplers, sampling points must be at least 25 m from the edge of major junctions and no more than 10 m from the kerbside. A “major junction” is a junction which interrupts the traffic flow and causes different emissions (due to vehicles stopping and starting) from the rest of the road.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 1 Pt. 3 para. 9(a)(b) substituted (9.2.2017) by The Air Quality Standards (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 (S.R. 2017/2), regs. 1, 4(a)

F2 Sch. 1 Pt. 3 para. 9(e) substituted (9.2.2017) by The Air Quality Standards (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 (S.R. 2017/2), regs. 1, 4(b)

Commencement Information

I12 Sch. 1 Pt. 3 para. 9 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

10.  The following factors may also be taken into account—

(a) interfering sources;

(b) security;

(c) access;

(d) availability of electrical power and telephone communications;

(e) visibility of the site in relation to its surroundings;

(f) safety of public and operators;

(g) the desirability of co-locating sampling points for different pollutants; and

(h) planning requirements.

Commencement Information

I13 Sch. 1 Pt. 3 para. 10 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

[F3 11.   Any deviation from the criteria listed in this Part shall be documented in accordance with Part 4.]

Textual Amendments

F3 Sch. 1 Pt. 3 para. 11 inserted (9.2.2017) by The Air Quality Standards (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 (S.R. 2017/2), regs. 1, 4(c)

[F4 PART 4 N.I. Documentation and review of site selection

Textual Amendments

F4 Sch. 1 Pt. 4 inserted (9.2.2017) by The Air Quality Standards (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 (S.R. 2017/2), regs. 1, 5

1.   The Department shall, for all zones and agglomerations, fully document the site-selection procedures and record information to support the network design and choice of location for all monitoring sites. N.I.

2.   The documentation shall include compass-point photographs of the area surrounding monitoring sites and detailed maps. N.I.

3.   Where supplementary methods are used within a zone or agglomeration, the documentation shall include details of these methods and information on how the criteria listed in Article 7(3) of the Directive are met. N.I.

4.   The documentation shall be updated as necessary and reviewed at least every 5 years, to ensure that selection criteria, network design and monitoring site locations remain valid and optimal over time.] N.I.

Regulation 18(1) and (2)

SCHEDULE 2 N.I. Limit values

Commencement Information

I14 Sch. 2 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

Sulphur dioxide

Averaging period	Limit value
One hour	350 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 24 times a calendar year
One day	125 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 3 times a calendar year

Nitrogen dioxide

Averaging period	Limit value
One hour	200 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 18 times a calendar year
Calendar year	40 µg/m3

Benzene

Averaging period	Limit value
Calendar year	5 µg/m3

Carbon monoxide

Averaging period	Limit value
(1) The maximum daily eight hour mean concentration of carbon monoxide shall be selected by examining eight hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each eight hour average so calculated will be assigned to the day on which it ends, i.e. the first calculation period for any one day will be the period from 17.00 on the previous day to 01.00 on that day, the last calculation period for any one day will be the period from 16.00 to 24.00 on that day.
Maximum daily eight hour mean(1)	10 mg/m3

Lead

Averaging period	Limit value
Calendar year	0.5 µg/m3

PM₁₀

Averaging period	Limit value
One day	50 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 35 times a calendar year
Calendar year	40 µg/m3

PM_2.5

Averaging period	Limit value	Margin of tolerance	Date by which limit value is to be met
Calendar year	25 µg/m3	20% on 11 June 2008, decreasing on the next 1 January and every 12 months thereafter by equal annual percentages to reach 0% by 1 January 2015	1 January 2015

Regulation 19(1)

SCHEDULE 3 N.I. Target values

Commencement Information

I15 Sch. 3 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

Arsenic, cadmium, nickel and benzo(a)pyrene

Pollutant	Target value for the total content in the PM10 fraction averaged over a calendar year	Date by which target value should be met
Arsenic	6 ng/m3	31st December 2012
Cadmium	5 ng/m3	31st December 2012
Nickel	20 ng/m3	31st December 2012
Benzo(a)pyrene	1 ng/m3	31st December 2012

Ozone

Objective	Averaging period	Target value
(1) The maximum daily eight-hour mean concentration shall be selected by examining eight-hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each eight-hour average so calculated shall be assigned to the day on which it ends, that is, the first calculation period for any one day will be the period from 17.00 hours on the previous day to 01.00 hours on that day, the last calculation period for any one day will be the period from 16.00 hours to 24.00 hours on the day.
(2) If the three or five year averages cannot be determined on the basis of a full and consecutive set of annual data, the minimum annual data required for checking compliance with the target values will be valid data for one year in relation to the target value for the protection of human health and valid data for three years in relation to the target value for the protection of vegetation.
Protection of human health	Maximum daily eight hour mean(1)	120 µg/m3 not to be exceeded on more than 25 days per calendar year averaged over three years(2)
Protection of vegetation	May to July	AOT 40 (calculated from 1h values) 18,000 µg/m3.h averaged over five years(2)

PM_2.5

Averaging period	Target value
Calendar year	25 µg/m3

Regulation 9(2) and Regulation 21(1)

SCHEDULE 4 N.I. Long term objectives for ozone

Commencement Information

I16 Sch. 4 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

Objective	Averaging period	Long term objective	Date by which long term objective should be met
Protection of human health	Maximum daily eight hour mean within a calendar year	120 µg/m3	Not defined
Protection of vegetation	May to July	AOT 40 (calculated from 1h values) 6000 µg/m3.h.	Not defined

Regulation 22

SCHEDULE 5 N.I. Information and alert thresholds

Commencement Information

I17 Sch. 5 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

Alert thresholds for Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide

Pollutant	Alert threshold(1)
(1) To be measured over three consecutive hours at locations representative of air quality over the least 100 km2 or an entire zone, whichever is smaller.
Sulphur dioxide	500 µg/m3
Nitrogen dioxide	400 µg/m3

Information and alert thresholds for Ozone

Purpose	Averaging period	Threshold
Information	1 hour	180 µg/m3
Alert	1 hour	240 µg/m3

Regulation 23

SCHEDULE 6 N.I. Critical levels for the protection of vegetation

Commencement Information

I18 Sch. 6 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

Critical levels for the protection of vegetation

Averaging period	Critical level
Sulphur dioxide: Calendar year and winter (1 October to 31 March)	20 µg/m3
Oxides of nitrogen: Calendar year	30 µg/m3 NOx

Regulation 25(4)

SCHEDULE 7 N.I. Information to be included in air quality plans

1.  Localisation of excess pollution— N.I.

(a) region;

(b) city (map); and

(c) measuring station (map, geographical co-ordinates).

Commencement Information

I19 Sch. 7 para. 1 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

2.  General information— N.I.

(a) type of zone (city, industrial or rural area);

(b) estimate of the polluted area (km²) and of the population exposed to the pollution;

(c) useful climatic data;

(d) relevant data on topography; and

(e) sufficient information on the type of targets requiring protection in the zone.

Commencement Information

I20 Sch. 7 para. 2 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

3.  Responsible authorities (names and addresses of persons responsible for the development and implementation of air quality plans). N.I.

Commencement Information

I21 Sch. 7 para. 3 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

4.  Nature and assessment of pollution— N.I.

(a) concentrations observed over previous years (before the implementation of the improvement measures);

(b) concentrations measured since the beginning of the project; and

(c) techniques used for the assessment.

Commencement Information

I22 Sch. 7 para. 4 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

5.  Origin of pollution— N.I.

(a) list of the main emission sources responsible for pollution (map);

(b) total quantity of emissions from these sources (tonnes per year); and

(c) information on pollution imported from other regions.

Commencement Information

I23 Sch. 7 para. 5 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

6.  Analysis of the situation— N.I.

(a) details of those factors responsible for exceeding the limit value or target value (transport, including cross-border transport, formation of secondary pollutants in the atmosphere); and

(b) details of possible measures for improvement of air quality.

Commencement Information

I24 Sch. 7 para. 6 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

7.  Details of those measures or projects for improvements which existed prior to 11 June 2008— N.I.

(a) local, regional, national and international measures; and

(b) observed effects of those measures.

Commencement Information

I25 Sch. 7 para. 7 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

8.  Details of those measures or projects adopted with a view to reducing pollution following 11 June 2008— N.I.

(a) listing and description of all the measures set out in the project;

(b) timetable for implementation; and

(c) estimate of the improvement of air quality planned and of the expected time required to attain these objectives.

Commencement Information

I26 Sch. 7 para. 8 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

9.  Details of the measures or projects planned or being researched for the long term. N.I.

Commencement Information

I27 Sch. 7 para. 9 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

10.  List of the publications, documents and work etc. used to supplement information required by this Schedule. N.I.

Commencement Information

I28 Sch. 7 para. 10 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

Regulation 28(2)

SCHEDULE 8 N.I. Public information in relation to alert and information thresholds for nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone

1.  In cases where the information threshold or the alert threshold for nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide or ozone is exceeded the details set out in paragraphs 3 to 6, as a minimum, shall be made available to the public. N.I.

Commencement Information

I29 Sch. 8 para. 1 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

2.  In cases where either the information or alert thresholds are predicted to be exceeded, the information set out in paragraphs 3 to 6 shall be provided where practicable. N.I.

Commencement Information

I30 Sch. 8 para. 2 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

3.  Information on any incident where information or alert thresholds are exceeded— N.I.

(a) the location or area where thresholds are exceeded;

(b) the type of threshold exceeded (information or alert threshold);

(c) the time at which the threshold was exceeded and the duration of the incident; and

(d) in the case of ozone, the highest 1-hour and 8-hour mean concentration.

Commencement Information

I31 Sch. 8 para. 3 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

4.  Forecast for the following afternoon, day or days— N.I.

(a) the geographical area in which it is expected that an information or alert threshold will be exceeded; and

(b) the expected change in pollution, that is, improvement, stabilisation or deterioration, and the reasons for those changes.

Commencement Information

I32 Sch. 8 para. 4 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

5.  Information on the type of population concerned, possible health effects and recommended conduct in particular— N.I.

(a) information on the population groups at risk;

(b) description of likely symptoms;

(c) recommended precautions to be taken by the population concerned; and

(d) where to find further information.

Commencement Information

I33 Sch. 8 para. 5 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1

6.  Information provided under this Schedule shall also include— N.I.

(a) information on preventive action to reduce pollution or exposure to it;

(b) an indication of main source sectors; and

(c) recommendations for action to reduce emissions.

Commencement Information

I34 Sch. 8 para. 6 in operation at 11.6.2010, see reg. 1