Air Quality
Clean air is essential for our quality of life. The quality of the air we breathe is influenced by a great number of air pollutants, which come from a wide range of sources. The Council aims to ensure that the air we breathe is of such a quality that it does not adversely impact on health and quality of life.
Some air pollutants, or proportions of them, are generated locally, where as others, such as Ozone are generated elsewhere and transported over long distances and therefore must be controlled nationally by central government policy and agreements between countries.
The important air pollutant species are those which, when considered at the local, national or international scale, may exceed the standards which have been set to protect human health and the environment as a whole. The major air pollutants and their main sources are:
- Nitrogen Dioxide: Produced by petrol or diesel burning engines and coal/oil burning furnaces;
- Sulphur Dioxide: Produced by burning fossil fuels (e.g. fuel oil and coal);
- Carbon Monoxide: Produced by the incomplete burning of carbon-containing fuels, such as petrol, coal and wood;
- Particles (PM10): Produced by diesel vehicles, power stations, industrial processes, mining and quarrying, and domestic sources;
- Benzene: Produced by petrol burning engines, diesel burning engines and petrol evaporation from vehicles;
- 1, 3-Butadiene: Produced by the combustion of petrol and diesel fuel, house fires and the burning of other fossil fuels;
- Lead: Produced by petrol burning engines and industrial combustion plants and processes.
Current Air Quality in Kent
The latest air quality monitoring in Kent can be obtained from the Kent Air Quality Monitoring Network Website.
The aims of the network are to promote the improvement of air quality within the region, help local authorities to meet their obligations under Environmental Regulations and maintain an accessible database of robust measurements for public reporting, research and development.
Local Air Quality Management
The Environment Act 1995 introduced a system of local air quality management (LAQM), placing new legal duties on local authorities to assess the air quality in their area, and a requirement for the Government to publish a National Air Quality Strategy containing air quality targets which would protect people’s health.
Local authorities must review and assess current and projected pollutant levels and where it appears the Objectives will not be met by the designated time they must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and draw up action plans to meet the Objectives.
During this review and assessment process some areas of the Borough have been identified as having levels of certain pollutants in excess of the national objectives. These areas are:
