All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodiesThe European Union’s Ambient Air Quality Directives establish requirements for assessing concentrations in the air and/or deposition of a certain number of pollutants that are deemed to have a significant impact on human health and the environment.
Legal standards (i.e. maximum levels that shall not be exceeded) are in place for the following pollutants: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (both PM10 and PM2.5), lead, benzene, carbon monoxide, ozone, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and benzo(a)pyrene.