Council Directive 1999/30/EC relating to limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air.

Directive 96/62/EC laid down the basic principles of a common strategy to be implemented at Community level in the field of ambient air quality assessment and management. Article 4 of that Directive requires the setting of the limit values and alert tresholds for ambient air as regards the atmospheric pollutants referred to in Annex I to the same Directive. The Council has subsequenlty enacted the present Directive for the purposes of: (a) establishing limit values and, as appropriate, alert thresholds for concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air intended to avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects on human health and the environment as a whole; (b) assessing concentrations of the above-mentioned pollutants in ambient air on the basis of common methods and criteria; (c) obtaining adequate information on concentrations of the said pollutants in ambient air and ensuring that it is made available to the public; (d) maintaining ambient air quality where it is good and improve it in other cases with respect to sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead. Article 8 deals in detail with public information. The following nine Annexes are attached: (I) Limit values and the alert threshold for sulphur dioxide; (II) Limit values for nitrogen dioxide (No2) and oxides of nitrogen (Nox) and the alert threshold for nitrogen dioxide; (III) Limit values for particulate matter (Pm10); (IV) Limit value for lead; (V) Determination of requirements for assessment of concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide (No2), and oxides of nitrogen (Nox), particulate matter (Pm10) and lead in ambient air within a zone or agglomeration; (VI) Location of sampling points for the measurement of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air; (VII) Criteria for determining minimum numbers of sampling points for fixed measurement of concentrations of sulphur dioxide (So2), nitrogen dioxide (No2) and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air; (VIII) Data-quality objectives and compilation of results of air-quality assessment; (IX) Reference methods for assessment of concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter (Pm10 and Pm2,5) and lead.