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Search Global Air Quality Laws
Country
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UN regional group
- African Group
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Year
Ambient Air Quality Standards
- In a legislative or legislatively empowered instrument
Responsibility for air quality standards
- National government
- State/provincial government
- Local government
- Shared responsibility
Indoor Air Quality Standards
- Yes
Type of instrument
- Primary legislation
- Other primary legislation
- Secondary legislation
- Policy linked to the legislative framework
- More than one
Nature of legal obligations
- Duty to meet AAQS (Binding legislative obligation on the state)
- Duty to take BPM to meet standard
- Escalating duty to take action (if AQ worsens)
- Duty to report to public authority
- Duty to plan for achieving AAQS
- Emergency planning requirements for dangerous AQ levels
Exceedances
- Generally allowed exceedances
- Other allowed exceedances (emergency reasons/natural events)
Compliance with WHO Air Quality Guidelines (2005)
-
PM2.5 (10 μg/m3 annual mean 25 μg/m3 24-hour mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.
- PM10 (20 μg/m3 annual mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.- PM10 (50 μg/m3 24-hour mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.- Ozone (100 μg/m3 8-hour mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.- NO2 (40 μg/m3 annual mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.- NO2 (200 μg/m3 1-hour mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.- SO2 (20 μg/m3 24-hour mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.- SO2 (500 μg/m3 10-minute mean)
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.- Newly acknowledged pollutants
The WHO Air quality guidelines are a set of evidence-based recommendations of limit values for specific air pollutants developed to help countries achieve air quality that protects public health. The first release of the guidelines was in 1987. Since then, several updated versions have appeared. This toolkit currently assesses countries against the 2005 guideline values (see here). The guidelines were updated more recently in 2021 (see here) and the legislation and policies presented in this toolkit will in the future be reassessed against these updated values.Legal requirement to monitor
Procedural and substantive rights
- Public right to air quality data (including general right to environmental information)
- Legal right to participate in setting AAQS in legislation
- Legal right to participate in devising air quality plans or actions in legislation
- Legal rights of access to justice (linked directly to air quality framework)
Legal coordination of policy to achieve AAQS
- Legal link between air quality standards and decision-making on projects
- Legally mandated policy coordination for air quality
Enforcement mechanisms
- Criminal
- Civil
- Administrative
- Bespoke enforcement mechanism
- Multi-level governance mechanism (eg EU Commission)
Provisions for transboundary air pollution
- Yes
Showing 61 - 70 of 74 resultsRegulation on air quality limit values.| 2005 |Regulation
Bosnia and HerzegovinaThis Regulation defines the limits of air quality and air quality targets as indicators for planning the specific area air quality, and thresholds and alert thresholds/alarm limits for timely action in case of short-term occurrence of illegal air pollution on the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
KeywordsLegislation, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Air quality, Nitrogen oxides, Carbon monoxide, Concentration-based standardsDecree on limit values for levels and types of pollutants in ambient air and alert thresholds, deadlines for reaching limit values, margins and tolerance for limit value, target values and long-term goals.| 2005 |Regulation
North MacedoniaThis Decree, based on the provisions of the Law on ambient air quality, prescribes limit values for levels and types of pollutants in the ambient air and sets alert thresholds, deadlines for reaching these limit values, tolerance margins for limit values, target values and long-term ozone targets. Target values for ozone are levels of ozone concentrations in ambient air which are fixed in order to...
KeywordsAmbient air, Concentration-based standards, Concentrations, Air quality, Future standards, Ozone, Pollutants, Alert thresholds, Air quality monitoring, Agglomerations, Zones, Zoning, Air quality plans, Ambient air pollutionRegulation No. 931 on Pollution Control (Pollution Control Regulation).| 2004 |Regulation
NorwayThe present Regulation addresses measures to limit and manage pollution to protect the environment and public health. It includes provisions on waste management, emissions to air and water, noise control, and soil contamination. The regulation sets standards and requirements for businesses and other entities to prevent and reduce pollution, ensure proper waste disposal, and manage environmental...
KeywordsLegislation, Permitting, Air pollution, Concentration-based standards, Industrial sources, Elemental carbon, Compliance, Air quality, Volatile organic compounds, Public health, Zoning, Concentrations, Enforcement, Stakeholders, Air quality monitoring, Access to information, Inspection, Pollutants, WorkersResolution No. 67 on the air quality standards and maximum consented limits for air pollution.| 2003 |Regulation
Syrian Arab RepublicThe aim of this Resolution is to fight air pollution. It's composed of 4 articles, 7 Lists and 1 Annex. This Resolution provides for the Syrian Standardization and Metrology for: air quality; maximum consented limits for water pollution caused by industrial drainage; maximum consented limits for air pollution at the pollution source; and classification of hazardous solid industrial waste and for...
KeywordsAir quality standards, Concentration-based standards, Air pollutionArrêté du Gouvernement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale concernant les valeurs limites pour le benzène et le monoxyde de carbone dans l'air ambiant| 2001 |Regulation
BelgiumKeywordsBenzene, Zoning, Concentrations, Zones, Agglomerations, Air quality, Industrial sources, Air quality monitoring, Ambient air, Air pollutionArrêté du Gouvernement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale relatif à la fixation de valeurs limites pour l'anhydride sulfureux, le dioxyde d'azote et les oxydes d'azote, les particules et le plomb dans l'air ambiant| 2001 |Regulation
BelgiumKeywordsConcentrations, Zoning, Particulate matter, Zones, Agglomerations, Industrial sources, Nitrogen monoxide, Air pollution, Air quality, Air quality monitoring, Ambient air, Nitrogen dioxide, Nitrogen oxidesOrder No 591/640 of the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania and of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania (‘the Ambient Air Quality Standards 1) (2001)| 2001 |Regulation
LithuaniaKeywordsAmbient air quality standardsDécret nº 2001-185/PRES/PM/MEE portant fixation des normes de rejets de polluants dans l'air, l'eau et le sol.| 2001 |Regulation
Burkina FasoLe présent décret fixe les normes de rejets de polluants dans l'air, l'eau, qu'elle soit potalisable, de baignade ou piscicole, et dans le sol.
KeywordsNitrogen dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxides, Air pollution, Industrial sources, Sulphur dioxide, Ozone, Zones, Zoning, Ammonia, Organic carbon, BenzeneAir Pollution Control Regulations.| 1999 |Regulation
PalauThe Regulations make provision for air quality standards, permits to construct or operate a stationary source, i.e. all air contaminant sources, except mobile sources, monitoring, records and reporting ob air pollution, sampling and testing methods at boundaries of buffer zones, control of fugitive dust, i.e. any airborne solid matter emitted from any source other than stack or chimney, control of...
KeywordsLegislation, Permitting, Air pollution, Industrial sources, Fixed point sources, Air quality standards, Mobile point sources, Air quality monitoring, Monitoring stations, Burning, Zones, Zoning, Compliance, Pollutants, Concentration-based standards, Air quality, Concentrations, Particulate matter, Point source controls, Fuel burning, Public health, Sulphur dioxide, Air quality modelling, Carbon monoxide, Environmental impact assessments, Point source emissions, Enforcement, Filters, Inspection, Nitrogen monoxide, Pollution abatement technologiesPagination
- PM10 (20 μg/m3 annual mean)