Connexion

The legal framework in Belgium

 

From Europe to Member States...

The pollution regulations (thresholds, limit values, etc.) are defined at the European level in directives (2008/50/CE and 2004/107/CE). These directives set out measures aimed at:

  • Defining and establishing objectives for ambient air quality in order to avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects on human health and the environment as a whole.

  • Assessing the ambient air quality in Member States on the basis of common methods and criteria.

     

  • Obtaining information on ambient air quality in order to help combat air pollution and nuisance and to monitor long-term trends and improvements resulting from national and community measures.

     

  • Ensuring that such information on ambient air quality is made available to the public.

     

  • Maintaining ambient air quality where it is good and improving it in other cases.

These European directives are then translated into Walloon law (indeed, this falls under regional authority in Belgium), namely laws and decrees.

 

Some useful definitions

The limit value is a level to be reached within a given period and not to be exceeded, and fixed on the basis of scientific knowledge in order to avoid, prevent or reduce the harmful effects on human health or on the environment as a whole.

The target value is a level to be achieved, as far as possible, within a given time frame, and set in order to avoid, prevent or reduce the harmful effects of pollution on human health or the environment as a whole.

Thequality objective (or long-term objective for the ozone) is a level to be achieved in the long term and to be maintained, except where this is not achievable by proportionate measures, in order to ensure effective protection of human health and the environment against pollution. (Source: Article R.221-1 of the Environmental Code).

A pollution episode corresponds to a period when the concentrations of pollutants in the air do not meet or risk not respecting regulatory levels, according to predefined criteria (percentage of surface area of an area or percentage of population affected, regulatory level crossed, duration of the episode, etc.).

The level of information and recommendation is the level beyond which short-term exposure presents a risk to the human health of particularly sensitive groups within the population and which makes it necessary to issue immediate and adequate information to these groups, as well as recommendations for reducing certain emissions.

The alert level is the level beyond which a short-term exposure presents a risk to the health of the entire population or a risk for environmental degradation, justifying the intervention of emergency measures.

 

Table of regulatory ambient air values according to European directives 2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC

 

 

Limit value

and averaging period

 

Target value

Information  threshold

Alert threshold

Protection of vegetation

 NO2

Calendar year
40 µg/m3

1 hour
200 µg/m3 not to be exceeded on more than 18h per year

   

1 hour
400 µg/m3 over 3 consecutive hours

calendar year
30 µg/m3

SO2

1 day
125 µg/m3 not to be exceeded on more than 3-4 per year

1 hour
350 µg/m3 not to be exceeded on more than 24h per year

   

1 hour
500 µg/m3 over 3 consecutive hours

calendar year
20 µg/m3

PM10

calendar year
40 µg/m3

 

1 day
50 µg/m3 not to be exceeded on more than 35 d per year

       

PM2.5

calendar year

25 µg/m³  

  Exposure concentration obligation:

calendar year
20 µg/m3

       

O3

 

Protection of health, target value:
maximum daily 8h mean
120 µg/m³

 not to be exceeded on more than 25 d per year 

1 hour
180 µg/m

1 hour
240 µg/m

 

 

 

Protection of vegetation
18000 µg/m3.h  AOT 40* (averaged over 5 years)

Long term objective:

6000 µg/m3.h AOT 40*

 

 

 

CO

En moyenne sur 8 heures
10 mg/m

       

C6H6

calendar year
5 µg/m3

       

Pb

calendar year
500 ng/m³

       

As

 

calendar year
6 ng/m3

     

Cd

 

calendar year
5 ng/m3

     

Ni

 

calendar year
20 ng/m3

     

 

B(a)p

 

calendar year
1 ng/m³

     

*AOT 40 : Accumulated exposure Over Threshold 40 ppb

 

WHO air quality guidelines (AQG - 2021)

NO2

200 µg/m3 1 hour

10 µg/m3 1 year

SO2

40 µg/m3 1 day

(not to be exceeded on more than 3 à 4 d/year)

PM10

 45 µg/m3 1 day

(not to be exceeded on more than 3 à 4 d/year)

15 µg/m³ 1 year

PM2.5

 15 µg/m3 1 day

(not to be exceeded on more than 3 à 4 d/year)

5 µg/m3 1 year 

O3

100 µg/m3 maximal daily 8h mean

(not to be exceeded on more than 3 à 4 d/year)

CO

35 mg/m3 1 hour

10 mg/m3 maximal daily 8h mean

(not to be exceeded on more than 3 à 4 d/year)

4 mg/m³ 1 day

 

C6H6

6 X 10-6 UR Vie (µg/m3)-1

Pb

500 ng/m3 1 year

As

1.5 10-6  UR Vie (ng/m³)-1

Cd

5 ng/m³ 1 year

Ni

3.8 10-4  UR Vie (ng/m³)-1

B(a)p

8.7 X 10-5  UR Vie (ng/m³)-1

 

Find out more : https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health

https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-pollution