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Search Global Air Quality Laws
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- United States of America
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 71 - 77 of 77 resultsEmission Protection Act - Air.| 1997 |Legislation
AustriaThis Act is a basic piece of legislation to curb air pollution. The purpose of this Act is to protect human beings, animals and plants, the soil, water, the atmosphere as well as cultural assets against harmful effects on the environment. At the outset the Act contains a definition clause relating to various terms therein employed such as, for exemple, “harmful substances”, “emission”, “threshold...
KeywordsAir pollution, PM2.5, PM10, Legislation, Air quality monitoring, Concentration-based standards, Enforcement, Carbon monoxideOrdonnance sur la protection de l’air (OPair).| 1985 |Regulation
SwitzerlandLa susdite ordonnance vise principalement à protéger l'environnement, la santé humaine, ainsi que les écosystèmes contre les effets néfastes des pollutions atmosphériques. Cette ordonnance établit un cadre réglementaire pour limiter les émissions des installations stationnaires et des infrastructures de transport, tout en intégrant des principes de durabilité et de préservation de l'équilibre...
KeywordsAir pollution, Industrial sources, Concentrations, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Zones, Zoning, Benzene, Legislation, Nitrogen oxidesAct containing provisions concerning general matters of environmental hygiene (Environment Management Act).| 1979 |Legislation
NetherlandsThis Act lays down, in 18 Chapters, subdivided in articles, the general principles of environment protection in the Netherlands, creates a framework for administration, planning and decision-making at a national and subnational level, and regulates various environment protection matters in more detail. These matters include the development and establishment of environment quality standards (Chap...
KeywordsPermitting, Concentrations, Air quality standards, EnforcementNational Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards (Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40, Part 50)| 1971 |Regulation
United States of AmericaKeywordsPrimary and secondary ambient air quality standards, LegislationMongolia Standard MNS 4585:2016|Miscellaneous
MongoliaKeywordsAir quality monitoring, Air quality, Legislation, Industrial sources, Concentrations, Carbon monoxide, Air pollution, Particulate matter, Monitoring stations, Zones, Zoning, Pollutants, Sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Nitrogen monoxide, Ozone, PM10, PM2.5National Ambient Air Quality Standards 2012 (NAAQS)|Miscellaneous
NepalKeywordsAmbient air quality standardsNS-05-62 (Sénégal) - Valeurs limites de la qualité de l’air pour le Sénégal et l’OMS|Regulation
SenegalPagination
- PM10 (20 μg/m3 annual mean)