Hansard

Nitrogen Dioxide

Volume 115: debated on Thursday 30 April 1987

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Dr. David Clark

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the levels of nitrogen dioxide at roadside monitoring sites in London; and what information he has about comparable EEC air quality standards.

Mr. Waldegrave

The results of kerbside monitoring in London of levels of nitrogen dioxide are published annually as a supplement to the "Digest of Environmental Projection and Water Statistics" and placed in the Library of the House. Data over the last four years for kerbside site 1 are given here and include figures for 1985 due to be published in May.

NO2, Concentrations Expressed as Parts Per Billion
1982198319841985
Annual Average46654948
Maximum Monthly 99th Percentile of hourly average concentrations220330158200
Monitoring for the purposes of EEC directive 85/203/EEC, air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide, should be as far as possible representative of the individual risk of exceeding the limit value. (98th percentile of hourly average NO

2 concentrations per year of 200 micrograms per cubic metre, 104ยท6 parts per billion). Because the general public spend only a limited amount of time at the kerbside such areas are not considered relevant for monitoring with regard to the directive.