ANNEX I
Air quality standards
Section 1 – Limit values for the protection of human health
Table 1 – Limit values for the protection of human health to be attained by 1 January 2030
Averaging period | Limit value | |
PM_{2,5} | ||
1 day | 25 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 18 times per calendar year |
Calendar year | 10 μg/m3 | |
PM_{10} | ||
1 day | 45 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 18 times per calendar year |
Calendar year | 20 μg/m3 | |
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | ||
1 hour | 200 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 3 times per calendar year |
1 day | 50 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 18 times per calendar year |
Calendar year | 20 μg/m3 | |
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | ||
1 hour | 350 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 3 times per calendar year |
1 day | 50 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 18 times per calendar year |
Calendar year | 20 μg/m3 | |
Benzene | ||
Calendar year | 3,4 μg/m3 | |
Carbon monoxide (CO) | ||
Maximum daily 8-hour mean (1) | 10 mg/m3 | |
1 day | 4 mg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 18 times per calendar year |
Lead (Pb) | ||
Calendar year | 0,5 μg/m3 | |
Arsenic (As) | ||
Calendar year | 6,0 ng/m3 | |
Cadmium (Cd) | ||
Calendar year | 5,0 ng/m3 | |
Nickel (Ni) | ||
Calendar year | 20 ng/m3 | |
Benzo(a)pyrene | ||
Calendar year | 1,0 ng/m3 | |
Table 2 – Limit values for the protection of human health to be attained by 11 December 2026
Averaging period | Limit value | |
PM_{2,5} | ||
Calendar year | 25 μg/m3 | |
PM_{10} | ||
1 day | 50 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 35 times per calendar year |
Calendar year | 40 μg/m3 | |
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | ||
1 hour | 200 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 18 times per calendar year |
Calendar year | 40 μg/m3 | |
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | ||
1 hour | 350 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 24 times per calendar year |
1 day | 125 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded more than 3 times per calendar year |
Benzene | ||
Calendar year | 5 μg/m3 | |
Carbon monoxide (CO) | ||
Maximum daily 8-hour mean (2) | 10 mg/m3 | |
Lead (Pb) | ||
Calendar year | 0,5 μg/m3 | |
Table 3 – Target values for the protection of human health to be attained by 11 December 2026
Arsenic (As) | ||
Calendar year | 6,0 ng/m3 | |
Cadmium (Cd) | ||
Calendar year | 5,0 ng/m3 | |
Nickel (Ni) | ||
Calendar year | 20 ng/m3 | |
Benzo(a)pyrene | ||
Calendar year | 1,0 ng/m3 | |
Section 2 – Ozone target values and ozone long-term objectives
A. Definitions and criteria
The ‘Accumulated Ozone exposure over a Threshold of 40 parts per billion’ (AOT40), expressed in ‘(μg/m3) × hours’, means the sum of the difference between hourly concentrations greater than 80 μg/m3 (= 40 parts per billion) and 80 μg/m3 over a given period using only the 1-hour values measured between 8:00 and 20:00 Central European Time (CET) each day.
B. Ozone target values
Objective | Averaging period | Target value | |
Protection of human health | Maximum daily 8-hour mean (3) | 120 μg/m3 | not to be exceeded on more than 18 days per calendar year averaged over 3 years (4) (5) |
Protection of vegetation | May to July | AOT40 (calculated from 1-hour values) | 18 000 μg/m3 × h averaged over 5 years (4) |
C. Long-term objectives for ozone (O3) to be attained by 1 January 2050
Objective | Averaging period | Long-term objective | |
Protection of human health | Maximum daily 8-hour mean within a calendar year | 100 μg/m3 not to be exceeded on more than 3 days per calendar year (99th percentile) | |
Protection of vegetation | May to July | AOT40 (calculated from 1 h values) | 6 000 μg/m3 × h |
Section 3 – Critical levels for the protection of vegetation and natural ecosystems
Averaging period | Critical level |
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | |
Calendar year and winter (1 October to 31 March) | 20 μg/m3 |
Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) | |
Calendar year | 30 μg/m3 |
Section 4 – Alert thresholds and information thresholds
A. Alert thresholds
To be measured as an hourly average over 3 consecutive hours in the case of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, and as a daily average over 3 consecutive days or less for PM10 and PM2,5, at locations representative of air quality over at least 100 km2 or an entire zone, whichever is the smaller.
To be measured over 1 hour for ozone; for the purposes of the implementation of Article 20, the exceedance of the threshold is to be measured or predicted for 3 consecutive hours.
Pollutant | Averaging period | Alert threshold |
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 1 hour | 350 μg/m3 |
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 1 hour | 200 μg/m3 |
PM_{2,5} | 1 day | 50 μg/m3 |
PM_{10} | 1 day | 90 μg/m3 |
Ozone | 1 hour | 240 μg/m3 |
B. Information thresholds
To be measured over 1 hour in the case of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide and 1 day in the case of PM10 and PM2,5, at locations representative of air quality over at least 100 km2 or an entire zone, whichever is the smaller.
To be measured over 1 hour for ozone.
Pollutant | Averaging period | Information threshold |
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 1 hour | 275 μg/m3 |
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 1 hour | 150 μg/m3 |
PM_{2,5} | 1 day | 50 μg/m3 |
PM_{10} | 1 day | 90 μg/m3 |
Ozone | 1 hour | 180 μg/m3 |
Section 5 – Average Exposure Reduction Obligation for PM2,5 and NO2
A. Average exposure indicator
The average exposure indicator (AEI) expressed in μg/m3 shall be based upon measurements at all sampling points in urban background locations in average exposure territorial units throughout the territory of a Member State. It shall be assessed as a 3-calendar-year running annual mean concentration averaged over all sampling points of the relevant pollutant established pursuant to Point B of Annex III in each average exposure territorial unit. The AEI for a particular year shall be the mean concentration of that same year and the preceding 2 years.
Where Member States identify exceedances attributable to natural sources, contributions from natural sources shall be deducted before calculating the AEI.
The AEI is used for the examination of whether the average exposure reduction obligation is met.
B. Average exposure reduction obligations
As from 2030, the AEI shall not exceed a level that is:
1. | for PM_{2,5}: when 10 years before the AEI was < 10,0 μg/m3: 10 % lower than the AEI was 10 years before or 8,5 μg/m3, whichever is the lower, unless the AEI is already no higher than the average exposure concentration objective for PM_{2,5} set out in Point C; when 10 years before the AEI was < 12,0 μg/m3 and ≥ 10,0 μg/m3: 15 % lower than the AEI was 10 years before or 9,0 μg/m3, whichever is the lower; when 10 years before the AEI was ≥ 12,0 μg/m3: 25 % lower than the AEI was 10 years before; |
2. | for NO2: when 10 years before the AEI was < 20,0 μg/m3: 15 % lower than the AEI was 10 years before or 15,0 μg/m3, whichever is the lower, unless the AEI is already no higher than the average exposure concentration objective for NO2 set out in Point C; when 10 years before the AEI was ≥ 20,0 μg/m3: 25 % lower than the AEI was 10 years before. |
When calculating the levels for the years 2030, 2031 and 2032, Member States may exclude the year 2020 from the calculation of the AEI for the base year.
C. Average exposure concentration objectives
The average exposure concentration objective shall be the following level of the AEI.
Pollutant | Average exposure concentration objective |
PM_{2,5} | AEI = 5 μg/m3 |
NO2 | AEI = 10 μg/m3 |
(1) The maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration shall be selected by examining 8-hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each 8-hour average so calculated shall be assigned to the day on which it ends, i.e. the first calculation period for any 1 day shall be the period from 17:00 on the previous day to 01:00 on that day; the last calculation period for any 1 day shall be the period from 16:00 to 24:00 on that day.
(2) The maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration shall be selected by examining 8-hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each 8-hour average so calculated shall be assigned to the day on which it ends, i.e. the first calculation period for any 1 day shall be the period from 17:00 on the previous day to 01:00 on that day; the last calculation period for any 1 day shall be the period from 16:00 to 24:00 on that day.
(3) The maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration shall be selected by examining 8-hour running averages, calculated from hourly data and updated each hour. Each 8-hour average so calculated shall be assigned to the day on which it ends, i.e. the first calculation period for any 1 day shall be the period from 17:00 on the previous day to 1:00 on that day; the last calculation period for any 1 day shall be the period from 16:00 to 24:00 on that day.
(4) If the 3- or 5-year averages cannot be determined on the basis of a full and consecutive set of annual data, the minimum annual data required for checking compliance with the ozone target values shall be as follows:
— | for the target value for the protection of human health: valid data for 1 year, |
— | for the target value for the protection of vegetation: valid data for 3 years. |
(5) Until 1 January 2030, 120 μg/m3 not to be exceeded on more than 25 days per calendar year averaged over 3 years.