Air pollution - National Responses (France)

Provisions for air quality monitoring in France.

In France, Approved Air Quality Monitoring Associations include national and local authorities, manufacturers, and environmental protection associations. The French Environment and Energy Management Agency[1] is responsible for the technical coordination of the monitoring arrangements.. The pollutants measured are those covered by regulations under the Law on Air Quality or European directives: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, benzene, lead, particulates (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), carbon monoxide, arsenic, cadmium, nickel, mercury and PAHs.

Protection of the atmosphere

The 1996 Law on Air and the Rational Use of Energy provides for the creation of atmosphere protection plans for conurbations of more than 250 000 inhabitants. These plans define objectives for reducing pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere to limit values below those set by the European directives.

Urban transport

The 1996 Law on Air and the Rational Use of Energy provides for the creation of urban transport plans for conurbations of more than 100 000 inhabitants. The aim of the plans is to develop public transport and other clean forms of transport and to address parking and road management (e.g. cycle lanes).

Regional air quality programmes

A regional air quality programme is a regional planning, information and coordination tool based on air quality measurements and emissions inventories. It is reviewed every five years and must be submitted for public consultation.

France's commitments relating to ozone-depleting substances

The progressive reduction in the production and use of ozone-depleting substances is regulated by the Montreal Protocol and European Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2009[2]. France ceased production of halons on 1 January 1994, CFCs and carbon tetrachloride on 1 January 1995 and trichloroethane and hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs) on 1 January 1996. Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 on substances that deplete the ozone layer incorporates the provisions of the Montreal Protocol. France has met its international commitments in relation to ozone-depleting substances.

Bibliography:

·       ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES (1993) Ozone et propriétés oxydantes de la troposphère. Paris, Lavoisier, 262 p. (Report no. 30).

·       CITEPA (2008) Inventaire des émissions de polluants atmosphériques en France - Séries sectorielles et analyses étendues. Rapport d'inventaire nationale - February 2008 Secten, 289 p.

·       CITEPA (2009) Inventaire des émissions de polluants atmosphériques en France - Séries sectorielles et analyses étendues. Rapport d'inventaire nationale – June 2009 Secten, 305 p.

·       CONSEIL SUPERIEUR D'HYGIENE PUBLIQUE EN FRANCE (1996) L'ozone, indicateur majeur de la pollution photochimique en France : évaluation et gestion du risque sur la santé. Paris, Lavoisier, 164 p.

·       DAB W., ROUSSEL I. (2001). L'air et la ville: les nouveaux visages de la pollution atmosphérique. Paris, Hachette Littératures, 218 p.

·       IFEN (2010) Méthodologie de l’indice d’évolution de la pollution de l’air; Orléans: Ifen. 13 p. Available  at: http://www.ifen.fr Section: "Accès thématique" > "Air" > "En savoir plus".

·       INSTITUT NATIONAL DE VEILLE SANITAIRE (1999) Surveillance épidémiologique air et santé : surveillance des effets sur la santé liés à la pollution atmosphérique en milieu urbain. Saint-Maurice, INVS, 148 p.

Internet sites:

http://www.atmo-france.org/fr/

http://www.citepa.org/

http://www.prevair.org

http://www.ademe.fr

http://www.buldair.org

http://www.air-interieur.org

http://www.afsset.fr

http://rsein.ineris.fr