The ambient air quality framework directive. Clean air for Europe’s cities

Summary:

Ambient air is the air that surrounds us outdoors. It is the air that we breathe and which sustains most terrestrial life. Everything in the familiar outdoor landscape is exposed to it. Considering its omnipresence, it is not surprising that the quality of ambient air can greatly affect the quality of life. Poor quality of ambient air can lead to a range of problems. Regular inhalation of polluted air can be damaging to health. It can have detrimental effects on lungs and on respiratory function, on blood formation, on kidneys, and even on cognitive abilities. Some pollutants are, in addition, thought to be carcinogenic. Cultural and historical heritage is lost as polluted air erodes buildings and monuments. Vegetation in and near cities, such as in parks and gardens, can suffer. Personal property can be damaged by polluted air through discolouring deposits, corrosive effects, or both. And the social and economic costs — particularly health-care costs — of poor ambient air quality are significant. The quality of the ambient air in densely populated areas is particularly important because so many people are affected by it at once. Unfortunately, it is precisely in these agglomerations that air quality is often the poorest. This is due to higher levels of activities that emit polluting gases and particles into the atmosphere.

The Community's Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality provides an EU-wide framework for national, regional and local measures to improve the quality of ambient air where it needs improving and to maintain it where it is still good. The directive covers the entire territory of each Member State, with particular focus on urban population centres, where well over half of Europe's population lives. The directive puts in place a system by which local, regional and national governments will work together with the European Commission to assess ambient air pollution and manage the actions necessary for achieving and maintaining good air quality. This will be accomplished through the adoption of common methods and criteria for ambient air quality assessment and management and a harmonised system of information gathering and dissemination.