Air pollution

Nitrogen oxide emissions still a major problem in Europe: Air pollution emitted from sources such as traffic, industry and households is still above internationally agreed limits in many European countries, according to data published today. The accompanying report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) confirms an initial assessment published earlier this year, showing 12 EU Member States exceeded limits under the National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive in 2010.
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Emission intensity of public conventional thermal power electricity and heat production (ENER 008) - Assessment published Jan 2011: The emissions and emissions intensity of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) from public conventional thermal power plants has decreased substantially since 1990, particularly in the case of SO 2 and NO x . This is primarily due to a decline in the use of coal, and replacement of old, inefficient coal plant as well as the use of abatement techniques. However, since 2000 a rise in the coal-fired electricity production has slowed the decline in emissions intensity. Rising overall electricity consumption has also acted to partly offset the environmental benefits from improvements in emissions intensity.
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Sulphur dioxide 2010 - Hourly limit value for the protection of human health: In the air quality directive (2008/EC/50) the EU has set two limit values for sulphur dioxide (SO2) for the protection of human health: the SO2 hourly mean value may not exceed 350 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 24 times in a year and the SO2 daily mean value may not exceed 125 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 3 times in a year.
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Sulphur dioxide 2010 - Annual limit value for the protection of ecosystems: In the air quality directive (2008/EC/50), the EU has set two limit values for sulphur dioxide (SO2) for the protection of vegetation within the zones designated by member states: the SO2 annual mean value may not exceed 20 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) and the SO2 mean value for the winter period (1 October to 31 March) may not exceed 20 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3).
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NEC Directive status report 2011: Reporting by the Member States under Directive 2001/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2001 on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants
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Air pollution: breaches of legal limits continued through 2010 and 2011: Air pollutant emissions were above legal limits in eight Member States in 2011, preliminary data shows. In 2010, 12 Member States exceeded these limits, according to final official data reported under the European Union’s National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive.
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Sulphur dioxide 2009. Hourly limit value for the protection of human health: In the air quality directive (2008/EC/50) the EU has set two limit values for sulphur dioxide (SO2) for the protection of human health: the SO2 hourly mean value may not exceed 350 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 24 times in a year and the SO2 daily mean value may not exceed 125 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) more than 3 times in a year.
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Revealing the costs of air pollution from industrial facilities in Europe: This European Environment Agency (EEA) report assesses the damage costs to health and the environment resulting from pollutants emitted from industrial facilities. It is based on the latest information, namely for 2009, publicly available through the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR, 2011) in line with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Aarhus Convention regarding access to environmental information.
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Air quality in Europe — 2012 report: This report presents an overview and analysis of the status and trends of air quality in Europe based on concentration measurements in ambient air and data on anthropogenic emissions and trends from 2001 — when mandatory monitoring of ambient air concentrations of selected pollutants first produced reliable air quality information — to 2010.
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NEC Directive status report 2010: Reporting by the Member States under Directive 2001/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2001 on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants
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