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Particulate (PM 10) Concentrations: 1993-2005
Site 1 | 1993 | 1997 | 1999 | 2000 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|
Annual mean concentrations (µg/m 3) |
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Glasgow Centre | - | 27 | 23 | 29 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
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Edinburgh 2 | 30 | 23 | 20 | 23 | - | 19 | 18 |
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Aberdeen | - | - | - | 20 | 22 | 19 | 19 |
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Number of days exceeding 50µg/m 3 |
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Glasgow Centre | - | 18 | 9 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 6 |
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Edinburgh 2 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 4 | - | 0 | 3 |
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Aberdeen | - | - | 3 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 4 |
|---|
Particulate pollution can harm the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and is linked to asthma and mortality. Smaller particles are the most damaging and current targets focus on particles less than 10µm in diameter (PM 10).
The greatest source of PM 10 is combustion. In particular, road transport and domestic sources accounted for around 40% of UK emissions of PM 10 in 2004. 3 Between 1990 and 2004, UK emissions of PM 10 fell by 48%. 3
The Air Quality Strategy 4 objectives for PM 10 come in two stages. Stage 1 (to be met by the end of 2004): a 24-hour mean of 50µg/m 3 not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year, and an annual mean of 40µg/m 3. Stage 2 (to be met by the end of 2010): a 24-hour mean of 50µg/m 3 not to be exceeded more than seven times a year, and an annual mean of 18µg/m 3. Stage 1 objectives were met at all automatic monitoring sites in 2004 and 2005. Edinburgh St. Leonards was able to meet Stage 2 objectives in 2005.
SOURCE: UK NATIONAL AIR QUALITY ARCHIVE
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