High Level Summary of Statistics Trend Last update: Wednesday, September 21, 2011
PM 10 Concentration
Particulate pollution can harm the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and is linked to asthma and mortality. Smaller particles are the most damaging and current targets focus on particles less than 10µm in diameter (PM 10).
Coal burning, diesel combustion, construction, mining and quarrying are the major sources of particulate emissions. Between 1990 and 2009, Scottish emissions of PM 10 fell by 60%.
The Air Quality Strategy 1 objectives for PM 10 come in two stages. Stage 1 (to be met by the end of 2004): a 24-hour mean of 50µg/m 3 not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year, and an annual mean of 40µg/m 3. Stage 2 (to be met by the end of 2010): a 24-hour mean of 50µg/m 3 not to be exceeded more than seven times a year, and an annual mean of 18µg/m 3. The Stage 1 objectives have been met at all SAQD sites, with a minimum data capture rate of 75%, in 2010. In 2010, the Stage 2 annual mean objective of 18μg/m3 was not met at 22 SAQD monitoring sites in Scotland with more than 75% data capture.
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Source: Scotland Air Quality Data and Statistics Database
Note (1): Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and DOE Northern Ireland. The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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